Faery Eyes
by SurprisinglyStoic
Summary: After Sarah defeats the Labyrinth, Jareth makes a hasty decision on her behalf. Now, our heroine is once again swept into a whirlwind of magic, mystery, and a race against time.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth... I just like to take the characters on vacation :)

* * *

High King Niall paced in the corridor outside the Infirmary in a blur of velvet and silk. His outward appearance of calm, cool, and collected was broken for reasons anyone passing by could not name. The servants and attendants had an idea, as per the palace gossip train, but out of respect for their beloved king, ignored his mad stalking with a turned cheek. For centuries, the king attended etiquette classes, excelled in combat courses, and did everything that was expected of a High King of the Underground. However, out of all of his calligraphy classes, all of his ancient history texts and magic tutorials, not once was there a guide to becoming a father.

* * *

"Send him in," the High Queen ordered the servant once she was fairly certain she looked decent. True, the king and herself were wedded, but it was no reason to give her hand maidens a heart attack due to a scandalous appearance. She would rather appear carefully disheveled than look how she felt- like she just had a baby. Queen Ziomara pushed her silk gowns about her one more time and managed to slap a few eager-to-help hands out of the way before her king walked in to the room.

Her heart fluttered in her chest as he walked in, slightly stooped from worry and anxiety. All the furrowed brows and frowns could not mar his Fae beauty. _All-powerful High King of the Fae Realm my arse,_ mused the queen silently. _I _still _think he's adorable._ The new mother held out her hands for her husband to take as he approached.

The king scrambled up the platform her infirmary bed was placed on and took her warm hands in his cold ones, where he then proceeded to place kiss after kiss on her knuckles and fingertips until he was sure he had covered all the skin he could reach. What he wanted to do was grab her face in his hands and kiss her full on the mouth, _as a king rightly should to his beloved queen._ He considered it a moment, but allowed the need to pass so to not over-crowd her.

"How is he?" Inquired King Niall after taking the seat vacated by the queen's hand maiden.

"The healer said he's healthy and strong. I'm not surprised after the sass he was giving me for the last three months," Ziomara's eyes glittered with amusement at her husband's crazed state. "Calm down, Niall. If I can manage to keep it together after birthing _that_ bundle of joy, I am quite certain you can too." The queen took her husband's hands and began rubbing soothing circles on the tops. _When did _I_ start wearing the pants?_ At that thought, the healer walked around the corner from the hallway that lead to the bath set up for the babe. The king released a breath he didn't remember holding, replaced his calm exterior, and looked upon his first born child.

"Congratulations, your majesty," exclaimed the healer in a whispered tone. "Your son sleeps, but he is the image of princely perfection." The healer raised his chin slightly at the end of his statement, as if he were proud of his handy work. "He will indeed make the Underground proud to call him king!"

The king's calm faltered minutely, but it was enough for the queen to notice the gears turning in her husband's beautiful head. "Thank you, Kaedre. Your services to the crown are greatly appreciated." Niall made a stiff motion to signal he wished to hold his son. After being told how high to cradle the head, what to avoid bumping, how gentle his rocking motions should be... Niall stared slack-jawed into the cherub face of his heir, his first born, his pride and joy.

Kaedre bowed to his king and then his queen and backed out of the room through the hallway he entered from. Once he was gone, the queen felt like she could speak to her husband more freely. Ziomara tried to limit the slaps to the back of the head she delivered to her husband to times when she knew they were alone. "His name is Caelan. I've already decided." She smirked at her husband in a way that said, _go ahead and try me._

"Yes, I like it. I'm not so concerned about the name as I am his future, you know." Niall continued rocking the babe in his arms, only taking his eyes off his son's face for a moment to address his queen. "He was born of Samhain. I hope he doesn't mind a few Goblins."

"Do not worry, my love. If anything, it should help mold him in to a proper king." Ziomara gave a reassuring pat on his forearm, and gazed at the two loves of her life. She knew no child of herself and Niall could fail at being a king. It was his destiny. _Speaking of which... _ "Do not forget: this evening we are paid a visit by the Oracle."

Niall looked at his queen, her beauty even more so radiant with the glow of being a mother. He told her how beautiful she looked. As always the modest queen, she blushed and waved off his compliment, scolding him for changing the subject. His heart swelled with pride for his family, one truly blessed by the gods. "I would not miss it for anything." He looked down again at the stirring babe in his arms. The babe's eyes fluttered open and blinked against the harsh lights of the infirmary before closing them. He was again fast asleep and breathing steadily as if he never stirred.

"His eyes are mismatched. What does that mean?" Niall's voice cracked a little on the last word. His gaze searching Ziomara's face for the answers he hoped would be there for the taking.

She only shrugged her delicate shoulders before adding: "More the reason to see the Oracle, my love."

* * *

The Oracle of Prophecies followed the Royal Fae guard- his name already escaped her- through the hallways of the High court palace. Destination: throne room. Purpose: bless the heir to the High throne. Gafidae liked her job alright, but being Oracle of Prophecies was not always pleasant. Sometimes, there was just no good news to bear. But, thems the apples when it came to telling the future. Gafidae lost count of the times an angry Fae couple turned away the wisdom of the Ancients because they did not like the truth. But she knew this time would be different, a new scenario full of possibilities. And Gafidae liked possibilities. The Royal Fae guard, _Drust_, she recalled, stopped in front of two large, elaborately carved wooden doors. The images depicted on the surface illustrated the history of the Underground in elegant dips and curves. She forced her self to focus on the task at hand. The throne room was just on the other side, and so were her clients. Gafidae squared her shoulders, raised her chin respectfully, and pushed open the doors with self-assurance.

The High King and Queen sat regally in their thrones- one of gold and one of silver respectively. Gafidae bowed deeply toward her rulers before making her way toward the dais. She focused her eyes on the bundle in the arms of the High Queen. Before she was ten yards away from the babe, she _felt_ it. _It_ being the _babe_. As obvious as a wall would be to a Fae when it walked face first in to it, the powers that the Royal Heir was harboring were just as blatantly obvious to Gafidae. "He's different to you too, isn't he." Gafidae knew she was being disrespectful, but something about the child made her nervous- uncharted territory. Fae children just don't _have_ this kind of power. Not when they're so _young_. Not that the child was evil, _his powers are no where _near_ as dark as an Unseelie._ She felt like the faster the High King and Queen knew about their son, the better it would be.

"He has eyes that are not the same," the High King stated, "One is the color his mother gave him, and the other is a color not of the Underground." The High Queen stiffened at the mention of the second eye color, but regained her composer too late. Gafidae noticed.

"May I approach the babe, your majesty?" The High King nodded and turned to his wife. The High Queen stood and walked a few steps down the dais toward Gafidae. The High Queen handed the cooing babe to Gafidae, nestled her fingers in the soft silver-blonde hair of the babe before turning to sit next to her king again. _Better get this over with_, mused Gafidae. _ I can only imagine what they're going to do to me if I give them bad news. _

She closed her eyes and was immediately bombarded with an onslaught of fast-paced images. Most of the images were fuzzy, moved too fast for her to understand. One image stuck out. A man in black with silver-blonde hair. _The babe grows up to look pretty good, _she laughed silently before she focused once more_._ His position was casually sitting in a stone window opening. _I know that place... The Goblin Castle!_ The image showed the figure twisting glittery orbs in his palms distractedly. _I've never seen that before. Ho is he doing that?_

The vision changed once more, the face of the figure now visible to Gafidae. His face..._ beautiful_. Every inch of it screamed Fae Royalty. _But lonely_. What caught her attention was the eyes. One of blue, alike to his mother's Fae eye color, and the other brown. A strange color, true. No Fae has such a color. _The eye color found in the Aboveground... it;s quite common there._

_Answer me, gods of wisdom._ Gafidae implored the Ancients. _What awaits the future High King of the Underground?_

Her eyes opened, her vision changing from fogged with the future to clear with the present. The anxious expressions of the High King and Queen visible as plain as day. _Uh oh_, thought Gafidae. Even the answer she received _she _did not like.

"The Ancients have spoken. Your son may not take the High throne until his Queen with the same ailment as himself is found: One eye mortal, and the other eye Fae." Gafidae laid the babe in the arms of his mother once again and stepped off the dais. "I know no more than that. I don't want to assume anything, but I don't think they meant his bride would have the same mismatched eyes... your majesties."

The High King nodded thoughtfully, "Thank you, Oracle. Is there anything else you can offer us concerning the Heir?" He looked hopeful, _he really doesn't know how vague the Ancients tend to be._

"From the visions I saw, he will be a great King, extremely powerful." She thought about mentioning the spinning orbs of power and how odd it was to her. Instead she approached it a different way, "He will have powers not seen before by Fae. He has been blessed." _While true, I doubt the future Goblin King will see at as a blessing in the long run._

The High Queen looked at Gafidae imploringly, "Is there nothing else? A time at which his match will be found?"

"Nothing else was given. Honestly, this is the most detailed the Ancients have ever been." That did not seem to settle the happy parents.

"Then all we can do is be patient," The High King said diplomatically, "He will be prepared for the throne regardless."

Gafidae approved of her King's plan. She then bowed before her king and queen and turned to exit the throne room. Something tugged at the back of her mind. Something she knew she should say. It came to her like a whisper, from the Ancients. "Actually, there is one more thing." Gafidae turned around, standing at the midpoint between the thrones and the door. "What is the name of the Prince?"

"Caelan. It means 'heir.'" The High King and Queen looked at each other, love clear in their eyes.

Gafidae shook her head and looked at the marble floor, cursing her job for the first time, "The Ancients have a name... They wish for his name to be 'Jareth.'"

The High Queen's delicate eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "It shall be done... but what does it mean?"

Gafidae looked unsettled, she avoided the gaze of her king and queen before inhaling deeply, drawing courage in like air. "It means, 'Fate dealer.'"

* * *

AN: Okay, I know this chapter may have moved a bit fast... but it's meant to be a prologue of some kind. For my first story, I think it's lookin' pretty good. I've outlined this story through and through so I already know what's going to happen... It's going to get better ;) R&R this sucker and tell me what you think!

P.S. If pronunciations are necessary, just holler and I will include them in the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or the characters

AN: I know some things are not exactly like the story, and it bums me out that I can't please everyone. But I'm placing myself before the story because I want to enjoy it- it's the only reason I'm writing this fic. So if the time line is iffy, or the words aren't just right, pwease bear wiff me. I'm going to try and make it as smooth as possible for mostly everyone :D

PS. I'm so tragically new to this site, if there is any advice one wishes to give it will be greatly appreciated :)

* * *

1985

_ Damn._

Sarah tried to remember the words... _the_ words. She wracked her brain for the lines of the fairy tale she read and reread religiously as a little girl, and as a teen, and finally as a fifteen year old girl. _How can I not remember those godforsaken words! I read them in the park not long ago! _She never thought she would one day _need_ the words. She always daydreamed of being the hero, of saving the day. But now that she was faced with the possibility of losing, she stood before her opponent terrified.

_I must save Toby!_ Her mind screamed. Losing was not an option. Her opponent, the Goblin King, was speaking to her. What was he saying? She could not focus on his words when she was running out of time so rapidly. _Why does he look so_ intense? She avoided his crippling gaze to keep her mind sharp.

And then it came to her... the words. _I remember now!_

_ "_You have no power over me!_" _She said with gleeful realization.

The Goblin King's frighteningly beautiful face contorted into pain and anger at the utterance of his defeat. He threw his glass orb in to the air as his cloak of owl feathers and heavy velvet engulfed him. She almost felt guilty for causing him such anguish. Almost.

She was watching him fall in to oblivion when something fell in her line of sight. _Is that a soap bubble?_ It had the hard, glassy look of one of the Goblin King's orbs, but this was floating just in front of her torso. She reached out to grab it with her fingers when it popped on contact. _Oops_, she thought. She waited for another one of the Goblin King's tricks, but suddenly she too was falling.

She then appeared in her entrance hall. The plush rug beneath her feet a noticeable and welcome change to the rocky pathways she had been running for the last eleven hours. _Am I... home? _The barn owl swooped around her figure before exiting the house. _I'm really back! _She ran up the winding stairs two at a time, and made the sharp turn around the hallway to her baby brother's room. _Please, Toby, be in the crib! I swear to God, if it's another goblin, I'm gonna rip it to shreds! _She held her breath as she approached the baby crib and looked inside. Her heart warmed with love and accomplishment at the sleeping figure of her little brother, nestled in his blankets. She turned and picked up her teddy bear and set it carefully next to Toby. She knew she didn't need it anymore. It's time to hand down the toys. _Wow, I have a lot of nice to catch up on._ She mused silently. She backed away, sure that Toby was safe, and left for her own bedroom.

* * *

The owl was motionlessly perched on the branch just outside her bedroom window. She would have noticed had the celebration inside her room not demanded her full attention. She looked happy to be with her friends... _she no longer looks so lonely_. Jareth watched on, looking for a sign that his plan worked. It was a gamble to begin with, just blind hope that it would work was the sole reason he sat there like a peeping tom.

_There it is. My gods, I cannot believe it worked_. Jareth watched the girl's hand, the one he knew touched his orb. Her finger's glistened with his magic, probably not noticeable to even her gifted eyes. But because it had the essence of himself in the spell, he was able to detect the magic residue on her fingers. As quickly as he spotted it though, it was gone. Seeped into her skin to be absorbed slowly over time.

_She will sense the changes... and I will be there to help her_. Still elated with the fact that his enchantment worked, he took flight for the Underground, where he would wait for the right moment to return. _My return cannot be too soon or too late_. Jareth had a plan, but should anything go wrong, it could be devastating for both himself and Sarah.

* * *

Sarah awoke the next morning, or what she thought _should_ be morning, with a groggy headache. The only light in her room was coming from the window, and it was a dull gray color. _Most likely from the storm last night. _

_Oh_. Last night. It could not have been a dream. Her feet ached and her muscles felt sore. _ It really happened. I really ran the Labyrinth. _She could not deny the self-satisfaction welling up inside her gut, but she decided to put off another victory dance until after she put an end to her pounding head.

Sarah threw off her quilt and slowly made her way down to the kitchen. She could smell the breakfast cooking, the coffee brewing, and whatever kind of muffins Karen chose to bake. _I wish she makes the blueberry muffins_, Sarah silently willed. She thought about announcing her descent to her step-mother, but didn't feel like using her vocal chords just yet. _Aspirin. Then food. Then human interaction. Sounds like a plan._

Karen turned from the breakfast table to look at Sarah as she walked through the kitchen doorway. Karen's blue eyes widened and her mouth popped open before snapping shut just as quickly. _Hmm, maybe I should have looked in the mirror before I came down._ Sarah wasn't totally sure what she looked like, but judging by the look of shock on Karen's face- she was a mess. She walked toward Karen's position at the kitchen sink and reached for the aspirin in the medicine cabinet just to the right of her step-mother. Karen resumed her task of washing the dishes and Sarah rustled around in the cabinet. She picked up several bottles before she _finally_ found the one she wanted. She was fumbling with the cap when Karen exclaimed something her sleep-deprived mind could not understand. A millisecond later, Sarah watched from the corner of her eye as something fell from waist-high and plummet to the floor. Sarah felt a downward tug on her left shoulder, and looked down, expecting to find Karen's hand on it, making her body tilt at the odd angle. What Sarah saw surprised her, clearing her mind instantaneously.

"Way to go, Sarah!" Karen exclaimed in her usual, chipper voice as she took the sudsy glass from Sarah's outstretched hand. "Looks like someone's awake upstairs!"

_What? No I'm not... how did I catch that glass in time? _Karen patted Sarah's left shoulder with her right hand before she realized it was covered in bubbles. She made a pouty face and attempted to rub out the suds. When she noticed how much worse she was making Sarah's now soaking wet sleeve, she shrugged and went back to the dishes.

"Uh, yeah. No problem." Sarah hesitantly backed away, unsure of what just transpired. _Of course I'm used to having cat-like reflexes in the morning. No sweat! _Her headache suddenly gone, she decided to skip the aspirin and go straight for the steaming cup of brain juice. Once she had caffeine in her system, she would be able to sort out the bizarre act from moments ago.

"The muffins should be ready by now. Would you mind taking them out and setting them on the stove to cool?" Karen asked over her shoulder. Sarah grabbed the mitten and removed the muffin trays from the burning hot over. Sarah examined the muffins for signs of doughiness before placing them on the stove racks, the rich smell already permeating the air with their sweet, wholesome goodness.

"I was hoping you would make blueberry muffins. They smell wonderful." Sarah took the biggest looking muffin out of the tray, burning her fingers slightly, before stuffing her mouth with a big, steaming bite.

Karen turned around, a look of bewilderment on her face. The look reminded Sarah of someone who was about to come _unglued, _and she prepared herself_._ "Blueberry? I thought the box said chocolate chip!" Karen came close to shouting before she shook her head in disbelief, ranting about the risks of using store-bought baked goods. "Mother always said" this and that. Sarah listened to the small woman's speech, amused by her strong feelings of anything not made from scratch.

Karen stepped off her soap box and Sarah finished her breakfast right when her father entered the kitchen, dressed in his usual suit for work. "Busy day today," he announced to his women, "one court case and three meetings at-" and continued on with his agenda. Karen listened on with a look of devout interest for her husband and Sarah turned and left the kitchen.

_I guess things are back to normal. _Sarah was glad that her parents didn't seem to notice anything concerning the Labyrinth. Now she could breath easy and go back to her normal life. Or as normal as it was before we went _Underground. _

Sarah made her way back up the stairs and down the hallway toward her bedroom. She figured she might as well get ready for the day, even though it would most likely be spent indoors. _I can play with Toby today, I bet he'd like that._ Sarah was mentally planning the day with Toby when she sat in front of her vanity mirror in her bedroom.

_Oh my God._ Sarah looked at the horror that was her reflection with disgust. _My hair looks like two squirrels were screwing! _She began to untangle her hair and inspected other visible body parts. _That better be dirt on my face._ Sarah pulled out her trusty hairbrush and whispered "Hoggle, I need you" to her mirror. If anything, he could cheer up her suddenly furious mood.

"Heh heh heh, so... ye decided to change yer look, I see." Her friend's familiar voice was there before his image was in her mirror. The glass fogged before clearing... and there he was. Not in her room, but somehow inside the mirror itself. "I like it. It makes ye look more like a goblin!" He chuckled while pointing his gnarled finger at her.

"That is _not_ what I wanted to hear!" She began brushing out the tangles with a new found vigor. "How are things in the Labyrinth now that I'm gone?" Sarah wanted to know if the Goblin King was pouting, but she wasn't going to ask. She assumed he would be. _He is just that arrogant. _

"Eh, same as usual, I guess." Hoggle scratched his wrinkled cheek before shrugging. "I hears there is gonna be a High Fae council meetin' in a few hours. That's interestin'. Hasn't happened in a long time... not one this big. All the kings and queens of the Underground are s'posed to come." He looked fairly impressed, but then looked back at Sarah and crossed his arms. "I don't guess you wouldn't care. You probably don't know what I'm talkin' about. I'm sure it's got nothin' to do with you." He looked at Sarah reassuringly.

"I'm not worried. I bet the Goblin King won't even go!" Sarah and Hoggle shared a laugh before moving on to talk about more important things.

* * *

"Do you even _realize_ what you have done?" High King Niall shouted over the murmur of the Fae council. The ring of thrones wrapped in an oval shape in the center of the large den, all facing each other. The High King and Queen's thrones sat side by side at the head of the oval with various rulers and governors filling the remaining seats. All of the seats were filled... but one. And that seat belonged to the Goblin King. He was there, alright. Because he was the cause of the council meeting, he stood in the center, facing his father and mother and awaited the judgment of the congregation.

"Of course I realize what I have done. I am quite proud of myself, really." Jareth smirked at his father, tapping his riding crop against his knee-high boots. "Is there any Fae in our known history who successfully pulled off what I did... single handed? You, of all people, Father, should appreciate my impressive magic skills." Jareth rocked back on his heals and crossed his arms behind his back. He looked very cocky, and that enraged his father.

"You have broken our sacred laws, you fool! This is not some game of cat and mouse in your beloved maze!" King Niall shot out of his throne, hands twitching with the desire to wring his son's neck. "That magical stunt you pulled borders on Unseelie magic. How funny is it now, Jareth?"

The Fae council members began their murmuring once again at the mention of Unseelie magic. The High Queen hiccuped with fear before regaining her composer.

"Father is right, Jareth." Jareth's youngest brother, Summer King Zander spoke up. His sweet tenor voice carried through the whispered words of the members and all was silent again. He had the floor. "As impressive as your powers are- and we know how impressive, you won't let us forget- you broke the law. You have enchanted a mortal with Ancients know what, and it could lead to Unseelie havoc in the Aboveground."

"I have control over the situation!" Jareth growled, scowling at his brother for doubting him. He knew he broke the law. Since birth, he was brought up to respect the law, the law is solid, without it the Underground would cease to exist in balanced harmony. Being heir to the High throne meant knowing the Fae laws backwards and forwards... and he did. _But this is Sarah we're talking about! _He knew they would not understand. After nearly two thousand years of _waiting_ for his queen, he finally finds her and loses her again! _What I did was necessary. I will not lose her again. I don't care what these loons decree. "_Your majesty, all I ask is that you allow me to return and maintain the enchantment. All will be well so long as the mortal has regular doses of Seelie magic. Otherwise the enchantment would fade and all would be for naught-" _And there we have it. _Jareth put on his best face of shock and looked at his King, pretending to have said too much.

"Is this true? Will his magic fade without Fae contact?" One of the minor governors asked in a gravely voice. Jareth was never fond of the man. He spent too much time with wood nymphs when his Fae people were rioting in the streets like hooligans. _Hooligans are _my_ specialty, not his._ Jareth tuned back to the chaos forming between the council members.

"What do you think, King Declan?" King Niall inquired as he sat back down in his throne. Queen Ziomara took her husband's hand as they listened to their middle son's opinion.

"Well, your majesty, his enchantment does not sound like the usual Unseelie magic... but then, how well do we really know our dear Jareth?" Declan smirked as his soft baritone voice filled the air with dark electricity. "In my personal opinion, the enchantment _should_ fade. Logically, there is nothing to sustain it." The longer the Winter King spoke out, the more he seemed to lose interest. _If that is even possible,_ Jareth internally rolled his eyes at his younger brother. The hopeless case. _Again, that's my job._

_ "_Well, little brother, your expertise is greatly appreciated. Considering how you have practically been Unseelie since birth." A childish move on Jareth's part, true, but he needed to sound like this was not going his way. '_Desperate times call for desperate measures,' as the mortals say,_ he thought fondly.

"This is not a joke, Jareth! I think the council will agree with me when I say restraints need to be placed on you." Murmurs of approval filled the air and heads began to nod. "Suggestions?"

"You could spell restraints on his magic, your majesty." A young governor voiced from across the room.

"A good start, but too vague." Voiced another.

"I believe the restraint should be placed on the Goblin King himself!" Shouted another governor He looked around the faces as they slowly became quiet again, and waited for him to go on. "You know... perhaps... place something on him that prohibits his interaction with the Aboveground altogether."

"Yes, it would keep him away from the mortal," thought the High King, "and regulate his magic." The governor breathed a sigh of relief at the King's approval. "It would give the enchantment time to wear off, and prevent Unseelie upstart on the mortal planes."

"_It cannot be indefinite, King Niall,_" Queen Ziomara spoke telepathically to her husband "_If what the Goblin King says is true, and this mortal is his queen, we cannot wait too long._" They wished to keep the prophecy private in conjunctions like these, so expending her power and energy toward the silent thought was worth the effort. The High King nodded to signal he heard her message.

"The Fae council will rule that Jareth the Goblin King will not interact with the mortal realm for the duration of... say... twenty-five human years. All in favor, please stand" The High King looked around the council members as they stood one by one.

"And what do you suppose will happen to the wished-away children of the Aboveground, your majesty? Will they suffer as I do?" Jareth asked, scowling at his father. He hoped now more than ever that his enchantment really did work. Twenty-five years was more than he wanted to spend away from Sarah, and anything could happen to her. And he won't be able to help... _personally. _His mind was already forming plans.

"The knowledge of your existence in the Aboveground can stand to sleep for a mere twenty-five mortal years, Goblin King." King Niall brushed off his inquiry like it was nothing important. It really wasn't compared to the chance of Unseelie magic in the mortal realm. "This meeting is adjourned. Go in peace." The Fae council members bowed to their High King and Queen and began to walk out of the den, pleased with the diplomatic judgment dealt out today. If they ever had to meet again, it would be too soon- and they _all_ agreed on that. The stress and strain of Fae council meetings just didn't fit their lifestyles. Good thing they had a High King who was so good at his job- they all agreed on that, too. They shot the Goblin King and future High King weary glances. _All good things come to an end eventually_, their expressions seemed to say.

Once the room was cleared of minor Fae rulers, the High King and Queen walked up to their children. It never ceased to amaze them how different each of their sons were from each other. As disappointed as they were in Declan for turning Unseelie, they were prepared when the Oracle saw it in his future. They tried to keep him on the right path, but now he just appeared to be the hollow, dark form of the son they once knew. The Declan they raised was no longer there.

"As much as I love these get-togethers..." Declan slouched off with out properly bowing to his King and Queen. He turned around before he saw the hurt expression on his mother's beautiful face.

"Kids these days," Jareth scoffed before his brother was out of ear-shot. "They just don't appreciate the little things." Jareth bowed to his father and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Keep in touch, Zander. I miss the days when you were more impressionable. I'm sure there is some mischief we can stir up in my kingdom yet." He clapped his brother on the shoulder before flicking his wrist and dropping the magical, glass orb. Before it could crash on the flag stone floor, he and the orb disappeared in a flash of black glitter.

"It really is quite impressive how easily he can use his Fae magic and not tire." Zander said to no one in particular. He too bowed to his parents, kissed his mother and walked out of the room.

King Niall turned to his wife and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, Jareth has a plan. Things will work out for him and this mortal."

"I just wish he thought this through. What if this girl has been enchanted and she is not his queen?" The High Queen could not keep the worry and exhaustion from shaking her voice. She tried to force the desire to sleep away. _We can't all be as powerful as Jareth, Ancients bless him. _"If he had at least confronted the council before enchanting her, this could have been avoided." She was becoming more irritable by the second, and her husband took the hint. He motioned for them to head toward their private chambers.

"Reports say that she is one of a kind. She can _see_ Fae in the Aboveground." They walked arm in arm, acknowledging the bowed heads of the servants they passed on the way to their chambers. "I'm amazed at how easy it was to get her into the Underground in the first place. He practically spoon fed her the words himself! I mean the conditions were _perfect_!" The High King chuckled at the cleverness of his son. Jareth really could be an idiot, but he still made King Niall proud.

"Yes he got her here, but she bested him despite his good fortune. His breeches are too tight if he thinks this girl is going to be easy to obtain." Queen Ziomara's chin raised a little, her trademark move at moments of pride. "Now all he can do is wait. And ask the Ancients to watch over their convoluted mess." The King and Queen entered the royal bedchamber and went about their nightly routines, mentally preparing themselves for the next twenty-five years.

* * *

AN: Reviews are as sweet as Karen's blueberry muffins :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of it's characters.

AN: So, this chapter took me a long time. My apologies; it was very unprofessional of me to keep you all waiting. The reviews are much appreciated. I really do want to know what everyone thinks of my first story. Enjoy!

* * *

1988

"You can head home now, Margaret. I'll close up the shop." Sarah said to her employer as she rolled out an empty book trolley from the corner of the store room. She knew she didn't have much left to do- check in returned books, return said books to the shelves, possibly pick out some books of her own from the sale room, and make sure the library was swept clean before locking up and heading home.

"Are you sure, Sar? I would rather you go get some extra sleep, big day tomorrow and everything." Margaret looked skeptically at Sarah, her silver-gray hair giving her raised eyebrow more emphasis as it analyzed her employee's sincerity. "Don't you want to go home and prepare for graduation?"

Sarah admired Margaret's thoughtfulness, but she was determined to spend as much time as possible at the library before having to go home. "Nah, I'm sure. I have a feeling the 'rents are up to something at home. I would rather close up here, if you get my meaning." Sarah and Margaret exited the store room, Sarah with her trolley, and Margaret with her handbag and empty cardboard boxes.

"Okay, that's fine I guess. Please remember to turn out the lamps in the story-time circle, no need for them to burn all night." Margaret continued to mutter a list of things Sarah was used to performing before closing up. "Oh, did you remember to log in the new arrivals? Oh wait, yes you did, I was standing right behind you. God, I'm too old for this. Okay, well I guess that's it... goodnight Sarah! I'll see you at the ceremony in the morning!" Margaret waved her hand, the car keys around her first-finger jingled as they waved through the air.

"Goodnight, Marg." Sarah chuckled. She stopped her trolley behind the front desk and started pulling out the returned books from the shelves underneath the wooden counter-top. After she was sure every book was cleared out, she made her way around the vast layout of the library and avoided thinking about what was happening at home.

_Not that I don't appreciate what they are doing for me,_ Sarah thought reluctantly, _it's just completely unnecessary. _Sarah felt loved that her parents were planning a surprise graduation party at home. Even some friends from school volunteered to help. But she distinctly remembered telling them _no_ parties under _any_ circumstances- a party would leave too many openings for... _weird_ things to happen.

"Rumor, would you take this book to the children section for me?" She called to the unnatural shadow next to her leg. The shadow morphed and grew and bulged until it was the foot-high, furry goblin with delusions of grandeur. "It goes in t-o-l. Can you handle that?" She watched the big, black eyes of her tiny guardian flash with determination.

"Rumor will do anything for Lady Sarah!" He exclaimed proudly in his high voice before pounding his tiny fist on his chest and ran himself and the book out of sight.

"Stop calling me 'Lady,' you crazy thing," Sarah mumbled under her breath. Rumor had been calling Sarah 'Lady' since he showed up a little over two years ago. She still remembered how frightened she used to be of the little spit fire. Silly now, but then it was quite disconcerting.

_Sarah walked up the stairs to her bedroom, a path she could take with her eyes closed. The house was __empty and the lights were out; Karen and Toby left at noon- half and hour before Sarah got home- to go to a birthday party Toby's playmate was having. Her father, she assumed was still at work and would not be back until dinner. Sarah was in the house alone, or so she thought. Sarah just arrived from school. It was finals week of her sophomore year at her school and she was home early. A bittersweet week; loads of time to skip school, but also the end to a fun school year. She would not miss the Journalism club meetings or having to deal with the dumb-ass members anymore. For that she was thankful. Sarah made her way down the hallway, still loaded down with her backpack, handbag, and keys. That was also a good thing from this year- getting a car for her sweet sixteen party. She was so happy about her car, she wanted to leave her party and go tell Hoggle all about it. _

_ Hoggle was a sore spot for Sarah. Ever since that weird day after running the Labyrinth, Hoggle had not shown up when she called him. And she tried, every day until she got tired of feeling rejected. She eventually stopped thinking about him altogether, putting away thoughts of Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus completely. _

_ Sarah felt a headache beginning to form between her eyes and tried to forget the days events. She pushed her bedroom door open, and halted in her leisurely steps. Everything she was loaded down with dropped to the floor with a loud thud and stopped the commotion happening in her room. _

Goblins, _she screamed mentally, _everywhere!_ She stood in her doorway, slack-jawed and frightened at the condition of her room. Her room looked like it was ransacked by a football team; everything torn off her book shelves, her stuffed animals strewn across the floor, and goblins everywhere! Some were jumping on the bed, and now just stood on top of her comforter, muddied shoes staining the fabric. Others were standing, with their arms frozen above their heads, staring at the creature in the entrance. Sarah looked more closely at each goblin, some had been engaged in a fight, using her lamp and candlesticks as swords. One pair of goblins were in her clothing; one was in her costume gown that Sarah used to play in the park with, and the other was dressed in her poet shirt and boots, her blonde costume wig atop it's head. They looked to have been in the middle of acting out a scene, the audience that was watching them were also turned around and staring at Sarah._

Okay, do not lose it, Sarah._ She closed her eyes and wanted to think she was dreaming. She could almost pretend the goblins were not there, but she could smell them still. She opened her eyes and walked through the door. She put on her most serious face and looked at each goblin before shouting, "WHAT do you all THINK you are DOING?" The goblins visibly jumped at the force her voice had on them. Sarah and the intruders began a staring contest. The only motion in the room was the ceiling fan as it creaked from the uneven weight of a goblin hanging from one of its blades. Sarah could hear her blood pounding in her ears and almost nothing else. All was silent._

_ One little goblin, about a foot tall and fury, approached the creature glowing with anger. "Y-y-you s-see, my L-lady. Us g-goblinses like to p-p-play when you are not h-home." He moved to take off the pirate hat that swallowed his head, his tiny fingers were shaking so badly, he missed the rim of the hat twice before finally __grabbing hold. "R-rumor, at your s-service."_

_ Sarah admired the thing's bravery, but she was just as scared of him as he seemed to be of her. _What if the Goblin King sent them to take me back? How long have they been here? _The last thing Sarah wanted was to deal with the Goblin King again. Goblins destroying her room was a close second. _At least it's them and not him, _she thought as she tried to see a bright side to the crazy situation. _

_ She tried to regain her outward appearance of fearlessness and looked at the goblins, "Do you do this every day?" They all shook their heads, shame-faced and apologetic. "How do clean up again in time for me to come home?" All the goblins looked in one direction, toward the goblin wearing the boots and wig. Once he noticed that he was what everyone was looking at, he began to shake as he stood at attention and blinked. In a flash, the room was spotless. Everything out of place was again in its place. Shredded paper no longer littered the floor, and mud stains were gone. _

_ "That's Flot," Rumor said, his courage growing as Sarah's anger dissipated and turned in to amazement. "He be the one who cleans at the Castle, he is." Sarah's head spun back to look at Rumor and jumped at how close he was. He had moved closer to her in the time she was looking about the room's cleanliness. Now his close proximity made him too real to her, she felt like she was going to cry._

_ "Why do you have to be here? Why not bother some other girl?" Sarah stared at the tiny goblin, eyes glistening with tears of fear and frustration. _I thought I escaped all of this! Why is it coming back now that I want to forget it?

_"But only Lady Sarah can see Rumor and his friends," Rumor spoke of himself in third-person. He looked at Sarah with big, black eyes, wondering why the glowing creature was afraid of him of all goblins. "Do not worry, Lady Sarah. We have always been here! We protect you from danger always!" _Oh geez, what a comfort._ Sarah did not want to think about how long 'always' was. Instead she tried not to flinch whenever a goblin moved toward her. _

_ "How can only I see you? My little brother could see you just fine." Her stomach sank with realization, and then relaxed when she remembered Toby was not home. _

_ It was another goblin that spoke, he had been hiding behind the glowing creature's pillow and now wanted her to look at him. "Lady Sarah got special eyes in Aboveground." All the goblins nodded in agreement. "In Underground, any persons gets to see goblins." He jumped off the bed and landed softly on his feet. He looked skinnier than most goblins, in an almost grotesque way. His deep voice was a shocking contrast to his build. It frightened Sarah. "My name is Grumble... I thinks." He looked proud enough to have remembered his name. _

_ "That's not what I wanted to hear." She mumbled and sank to the floor, she rested her head back against the door jamb and closed her eyes. She didn't want to hear that she was _special_. Not when it was coming from the very thing that plagued her darkest dreams. She opened her eyes a crack when she felt a light pat on her knee cap and cringed visibly._

_ "Do not worry, Lady Sarah. Rumor will protect you! It is my duty!" Rather abruptly, she was alone in __her room for the first time since she got home. She would have thought it was a dream if it were not the mud prints on her knee caps. She hung her head and sobbed, not caring about the eyes that watched her from behind her walls and in the shadows of her used-to-be sanctuary. _

Sarah came back to the present and returned to work. She could not deny how the little creatures had grown on her in the last two years. After they had convinced her that they could not be seen or heard by anyone else, she slowly allowed them to follow her to the park and the library. She was glad that they followed her authority and listened when she set down rules and scolded them when said rules were broken. She had asked them if they knew anything about her friends and why she suddenly lost contact. They all shook their empty heads and said "We not been in the Underground for years and years and years." She asked them why and they just said they could not remember, but knew they had to "protect Lady Sarah with our lives!" And they did protect her, in a way. If she felt scared or alone, they were there to comfort her. On one particularly stormy night, Rumor declared that he took his first bath just for her, "so Lady Sarah will let Rumor protect her while she sleeps!" And the little goblin snuggled up against her neck like a kitten and kept the bad dreams away.

"Was Rumor very fast?" He shouted in Sarah's ear, causing her to drop the book she was just holding. She spun around and was face-to-face with Rumor, his body perched on a bookshelf, legs swinging underneath him.

She laughed and picked up her book, hoping the creature could not hear her racing heartbeat, "You know I hate it when you sneak up on me." She tickled him and avoided his question, mostly because she didn't know. She lost track of time when she thought about the old days. His goblin laughter caused the shadows to move, curious to see what the commotion was about. Goblins started coming from all around.

"Why is Lady Sarah not going to her party?" Mort asked as he picked up a stack of books from her trolley. Mort was one of the smarter ones, so she trusted he could put the books where they belonged. He denied he knew how to read, but she recognized the glazed look in his eyes every time he opened a book. His stout figure began waddling away, not waiting for her answer.

"Because you lot ruined the surprise part of the surprise party. Now there is no point." She smirked at their fallen faces as a chorus of "What?" and "Ruined?" filled the air.

"Lady Sarah must go!"

"Goblins watched mortals make party for Lady Sarah!"

"Mortals care about Lady Sarah's smiley face!"

"You mean happiness," she corrected Hickle. His snout scrunched up at her big word, and he shook his head.

"We take care of books, Lady Sarah, and you go to ruined surprise party!" Rumor exclaimed in his falsetto voice. He jumped off the shelf and landed on the ground before running toward the goblin pushing her trolley down the aisles.

"Ugh, fine." She kicked a shelf and stalked off in the direction of the back room, mumbling to herself like a loon. "Stupid goblins..._mumble mumble..._ mind their own business..._ grumble grumble..._" She knew they would be alright putting books away. Margaret would just assume any mess the goblins made were rats or something equally as horrible. The library was old, and Margaret was almost just as old. Sarah thought up other stories to cover up any mess as she turned out the lights, happy exclamations came from the back corner as the building was covered in darkness. "Don't break anything, and do not pee in the ficus again!" She heard "Aw, no fair! Cackle got to try it!" before she opened the exit doors and locked them behind her. _Well, I guess I better get this over with_, she sighed as she made her way toward her car, and eventually, home.

* * *

"SURPRISE!"

Sarah stood in the entrance to her living room, with her best shocked-yet-pleasantly-surprised face on, as she looked around the room filled with family, friends, and some people she had never seen before in her life.

"What is this?" She asked in a high, happy voice, hoping she didn't sound too phoney. She spotted her parents walking through the mass of people, and threw her arms around their necks in a tight hug. _Okay_, she thought as her eyes began to soften with tears, _maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. It's just because they care about me, that's all. _She thought about what Hickle had said, _"Mortals care about Lady Sarah's smiley face!"_

Karen was the first to speak. She cleared her voice of emotion before addressing Sarah on behalf of herself and the party crew. "We just wanted you to have one last party before going off to college," Karen directed her arm toward the people and decorations. Everything was brightly colored in neon pinks, greens, and accented with black and silver. Balloons said "Congrats!" and the banner on the wall said "Class of '88." Sarah would later inspect it to find it covered in signatures and fond farewells from everyone that came to the party. Her vision began to mist over again.

"It's all wonderful, thank you!" This time, she sounded sincere. Sarah moved away from her parents to greet the guests and thank them for coming.

* * *

"Robert, you naughty boy. I thought I told you to keep me updated with photographs of the children!" Robert's aunt Dotty gripped his elbow in a tight grip as she stared back at him. "You know how I don't get to see the children, how can you let little Sarah grow so much and not send me photographs?" She batted his arm with her other hand and motioned toward the eighteen year old beauty.

"We sent you photographs of her just this past Christmas! I'd say that's pretty recent." He laughed at Aunt Dotty's forgetfulness, and brushed it off as old age. She scowled at her nephew and started to dig in her hand bag, determined to prove him wrong.

"Yes, I got those photos, but look at how she has changed since then!" She pulled out a wallet-sized image of Sarah. She was dressed in a forest green sweater, the deep color brought out the jewel tones of her green eyes. Her cream-white face looked softened by the filter used on the camera to give the picture the popular glamor-shot look girls wanted. Her dark hair was swept forward and cascaded around her left shoulder, making her look ever like her mother, Linda. Robert remembered complaining about how the photo made his little girl look just a little too old, and also remembered losing the argument with Karen over it. Robert looked up from the photo to see what his crazy aunt was raving about. He had to do a double take, and then a triple take, before he looked at his aunt with wide eyes.

"She's growing up faster than even _you_ can keep up with, sonny. So long as I'm not the only one losing track of time," she chuckled before swiping the photograph out of her nephew's hand.

Robert still stood staring at his daughter. How had he missed it? The changes were so small, yet so significant. Her slightly round face was now sharp, the heart-shape gave way to a more angular jaw line and prominent cheek bones. Her youthful skin now looked pristine and ageless, almost like alabaster. Her long, silken hair looked closer to deep black than dark chocolate brown in the photo, and shimmered in the light like it was faceted with diamonds. She looked like she did before, but she looked finished. Completed. Like she had finally ended her trial as awkward teenager and was entering life as a woman. He was proud of her beauty, just like he was proud of his first wife's beauty. But Sarah had turned in to a grown woman with features not like her mother's, or even her father's. She looked like a more refined version of herself.

"When did that happen?" He said in disbelief, wondering if he was still looking at his daughter and not just a woman who looked just like her.

"They all grow up fast, Robert." Aunt Dotty looked up pitifully. "Just keep me updated. I don't care if she's going off to some college. I want photos of my favorite great-niece!" And she pinched him and waddled off to scold Karen about the same thing. Robert observed from across the room as Karen took the offered photo of Sarah and watched the shock and confusion cross his lovely wife's face. Karen looked back and forth between the photograph and the real thing before looking up and spotting her husband's seeking gaze. Their eyes met from across the room, and they understood each others sad realization.

* * *

1998

Jareth lounged in his plush desk chair, a deep midnight blue, and continued to look into his crystal orb. For hours upon hours he did this, never breaking eye contact, never batting an eyelash, just so he could catch a small glimpse of his betrothed. And that's usually all he could get— a glimpse. The spell placed around himself and Sarah was strong, true, but not strong enough to completely isolate her from him. He still was not able to travel to the Aboveground... but he could at least _look_ at it.

Jareth heard a muffled voice coming into the east wing. He recognized the tone of his brother Zander being ever so colloquial with his goblins. He smirked to himself and kept his eyes trained on the crystal.

The door to Jareth's study flew open and slammed into the flagstone wall behind it. Zander stood in the door way with a smile of accomplishment. The smile soon vanished when he realized that his dramatic entrance may have broken something of value. After a quick assessment of the vicinity, the goofy smile was once again in place. Jareth noted that Zander had even managed his own personal trademark move of fists on hips.

"Brother, you are going to be very pleased to know that I easily found your Lady." Zander turned and closed the door as he spoke. After sneakily brushing off the mark on the wall the doorknob left, he moved to fill two glasses with whatever Jareth decided to put in his crystal decanter. "Her exact location, of course. After visiting her home in America, following her magic trail was not difficult. Your Lady makes messes and then leaves them. I don't think she was one fan amongst the dryads." Zander shook his head, knowing how bad it was to be on the wrong side of a dryad, for Ancients' sake.

"So she has indeed left her home?" Jareth asked out loud, it was the first he had spoken in quite a while. The drink Zander gave to Jareth did little to soften his sleep-deprived voice. "I had my doubts that she would find it in her to leave what she knew best. But of course she is not so stupid as to make an obvious spectacle of herself."

"Indeed not. However, I think anyone could easily find the courage to leave an army of angry driads behind." Zander giggled and looked up at his brother's scowl. The giggles stopped.

"She cannot help it. She is unconsciously waking the sleeping magic in the Aboveground." Jareth moved his gaze back to the crystal orb in his hand. "You should have seen the camping trip she went on with her university friends a few years ago. One of the young men hid inside her tent hoping to arouse her feelings for him. What would have been rape ended up with an unharmed, sleeping woman and a man whom nobody save Sarah could figure out how he got tangled in the vines of the highest treetop." Jareth laughed and shook his head. His mismatched eyes glittered with pride, "I'm glad I managed to leave her with some magic."

"That makes two of us. However, if the sleeping magic was as eager as it was to awaken to her call, I wonder how different it would be in Ireland." Zander looked off in deep thought and Jareth's gaze looked up at his brother. "She moved from America where magic is evident, but weak, to a place where magic more saturated. Sounds dangerous, Jareth."

"Yes, a recipe for disaster, as the humans say. What else did you find out about Sarah?"

"Well, not much concerning her enchantment. I mean, I don't know if she has figured anything out. Other than that, I found her at a classy jazz bar where she works. She plays the piano there six nights a human week. She's quite popular, really. The pay seems very good and she is treated with respect." Zander stood to refill his glass, "I went to her home, not far from her job, and took a whiff. Want some?" When Jareth declined, Zander continued. "Anyway, the house reeks of magic. Her gardens are alive, the nymphs hang about her yard. Even the goblins are protective of her, wouldn't even let me in at first. She is like her own Snow White with a few alterations," Zander quipped playfully.

Jareth nodded his head as he absorbed the information. "Did you question the goblins for what they know?"

"I did, and they don't know much. One of the more intelligent goblins told me she complains of having perfect pitch. I found that interesting. Not only does the Lady have another advanced Fae power, but she _complains_ about it!" Zander kicked his feet up on to a nearby foot stool, muttering to himself. "Anyway, she has a day job as well. She teaches piano at a recreational center across town. After snooping around in a very sneaky way, I found several photo albums dedicated to her little brother. He turned thirteen this year and she missed his party yet again. How old is your Lady now?"

Jareth looked saddened, "She will be twenty-eight this month. She must miss her family terribly. She stopped seeing them as soon as she graduated from her university. I suppose she moved to Ireland when she ran out of excuses for not seeing her family." Jareth almost felt regret for enchanting Sarah. Almost.

"Well, it's a good thing she left when she did. Otherwise she would be stuck explaining why she still looks barely older than a teen. Hmm... pity. That _would_ have been fun to watch." Zander and Jareth shared a smirk full of mischief. Zander broke the moment when he immediately thought of something. "Does the Lady have many suitors? That was one thing I could not find out. The goblins didn't know what the devil I was talking about!"

Jareth's nose curled in disgust. "She did have them. All throughout her high school years and a few in college. She never was too intimate with them, but after a few evenings with one, she would move on to the next. For a while I could not guess why she would move on so quickly and then stop seeing suitors all together."

Zander thought for a moment before voicing his guess. "Could it possibly have something to do with your enchantment?"

"That's the only thing I can think of, as well. She is too full of fire to be alone. Something must be keeping her from _wanting_ to see suitors."

"You really are a goblin sometimes, brother." Zander tisked, half in amazement of his brother's powers and half in sadness for the Lady. "She won't be alone for long now. The time limit is almost up."

"I know." Jareth's eyes went back to the crystal orb in his hand. Zander looked at the mass of magic in Jareth's palm and noticed something familiar.

"What can you see?" Zander asked as he moved from his seat across the room to stand behind his brother's chair. He looked over Jareth's shoulder and laughed at what he saw.

"Just what is so funny?" Jareth turned slightly to his right, agitated at Zander's looney reaction.

"Do you know what you're staring at, Jareth?" When Jareth shook his head in a tight jerk, Zander felt sickly amused all over again. "You, my friend are staring into the very thing mortal's hate the most— television static!" His brother's further confusion only made things funnier.

"Television?"

"There is one thing mortals hate other than traffic— something you ought to see for yourself, by the way... when you get the chance, of course... anyway— and that is television static! Mother and Father sure do have a crazy sense of humor!"

* * *

AN: So what did you guys think? Reviews are as sweet as hugs from Rumor!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of its characters

Nor do I own A Midsummer-Night's Dream or any of its characters.

AN: OK, this update came pretty fast! I'm pleased with the ratio of length of the chapter over time spent on it. I hope it answers some questions!

* * *

2010

Jareth was standing behind his desk, his torso supported by his arms as he leaned over the gathered paperwork. Zander had walked in on his brother in... all sorts of interesting situations. What made this situation stick out to Zander was walking in on Jareth in a good mood. Jareth's whistling gave away his sunny mood.

The older brother noticed the guest standing in the doorway, looking very... discombobulated. He decided to make it worse. "Ah, here comes my messenger. How now, mad spirit! What night-rule now about this haunted grove?"

Zander's confused expression immediately turned into a scowl. "I'm am somewhat less than amused," he said in his dullest deadpan. "If you're quoting Grandfather, you must be in a good mood."

Jareth made a _pfftt-_ing noise and walked around his desk to usher his brother inside. "You don't know what you are talking about. Technically, I just quoted _Shakespeare._" He laughed a hearty laugh and pushed his brother into a chair, none too gently, either. "Would you like a drink? I recently acquired an Aboveground drink. Just today, actually. _Quite_ delightful, in my opinion. I think this _Jose Cuervo_ fellow and myself will get along swimmingly should we ever encounter one another." Jareth grinned his famous grin before handing Zander a small glass of the odorous, amber drink.

"L-let me get this straight," Zander said as he crossed his legs, his untouched drink rested on his kneecap. "The restraint is _finally_ lifted and you spend your time getting mortal liquor?" Zander cracked a smile and shook his head. "You're crazy."

"That's debatable. Did you complete the task or not?" Jareth's playful mood sobered slightly, now focused on receiving his information.

"Yes, I suppose. A trip Aboveground is necessary; whether it's you or me that goes up matters little. I had a brownie guard taste the Middleground. The report said that Unseelie magic did in fact cross over around thirteen o'clock this morning."

"Do you think it is a coincidence that Unseelie magic would go Aboveground as soon the restraint vanished? Or was there a purpose behind it?" Jareth's fingers entwined in front of his face, deep in thought.

"Well," Zander contemplated Jareth's questions, knowing where his train of thought led to, "It isn't _impossible_ that within twenty-five years, the Unseelie court developed a need of _something_ in the Aboveground." He leaned forward in his chair and propped his head upon a fisted hand.

"It requires further investigation. Will you do it, or shall I?" Jareth looked at his brother and smirked.

"I don't suppose... but... why don't you do it? The restraint was lifted today and all you've managed to do is get liquor—" he paused to sip his forgotten drink. Repulsed by its strong flavor, he continued "—and putter around your study."

"Relax. Everything is under control. We'll discuss it later."

"But... you have waited so long I-I just thought... you'd have been Aboveground as soon as the clock struck thirteen."

"Your judgment of my actions is not far off base. In fact, I had planned everything to go just like that. A big, dramatic entrance. Nostalgia practically tangible for the Lady... you know." He walked from around the front of his desk— half sitting, half leaning. "Perhaps I will investigate... or not. Regardless of the investigation, she is not to know of our presence near her just yet. For I see Sarah getting something in her future. If I wait for this object to arrive in her possession, my plan will run _much_ more smoothly!" Jareth flicked his wrist and a crystal orb appeared in his grasp. In a small instant, the orb changed into his riding crop. He then began tapping out a cheerful rhythm against his tall boots.

"I shudder to think of the object you speak of, brother." Zander didn't believe any object could make Jareth's crazy plan run smoothly... but then again, Jareth never said it would run _smoothly_. Just _more_ smoothly. Not a lie... just a strong, cleverly worded assertion. _Bravo_, Zander mused to himself.

"You'll find out anyhow. All in due time." Jareth's tapping came to a sudden stop. Zander didn't have enough time to ask him if something was wrong before Jareth pushed off his desk and gracefully exited his study with a terrifying smile on his beautiful face. He called to Zander from the corridor, "Come, darling, little brother of mine! I have a job for you!"

* * *

_Two hearts blending into one eternal purpose_

_bound by the strength of their love_

_Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Davis_

_request the pleasure of your_

_company at the marriage of_

_their daughter_

_Ginger Ann_

_to_

_Toby Allen Williams_

_son of_

_Mr. and Mrs. Robert Williams_

_On Saturday, the Twenty-Sixth of June_

_Two Thousand and Ten_

_At six o'clock in the evening_

_The Ritz-Carlton Hotel_

_Central Park_

_New York, New York_

"For the love of God." Sarah muttered as she set the wedding invite on the coffee table in front of her couch. Sarah began to rifle through the rest of her mail when her blackberry buzzed on the glass top of her end table. The phone itself was a birthday present from Toby, so she was still trying to get used to the three-day-old gift. How anyone could get used to pressing such tiny buttons at high-speed was beyond her skill level. She'd seen students on campus achieve such things, but it looked like it took practice she just was not willing to give. No matter how much she wanted to blend in. Her students liked to call her a texting novice. _I can live with that,_ she thought. She liked the gift; it was very thoughtful of Toby to get her something so nice. _Just not something you'd give your forty-year old sister,_ in Sarah's opinion.

She missed Toby. She had not laid eyes on the kid— now man— since she left for college. She was updated with photos of her growing brother whenever possible. Ever since Sarah got an email account a few years back, Toby did not hesitate to send her the pictures he took. They kept in touch. Emails, phone calls, and now text messages, thanks to her hip, new-age messaging phone.

_Speak of the devil_, Sarah thought as she looked at her blackberry. The screen flashed with an alert saying she received a text from Toby W.

_Toby W.- Hey, I got your email, but I thought it would be better to reply with texts. Liking your phone?_

Sarah tried her best to type out a reply without punching buttons accidentally. Her brow furrowed in concentration and she fought the urge to stick her tongue out the side of her mouth.

_Sarah W.- You know I can answer my emails from the blackberry, right? Texting not necessary!_

The reply came quickly. Sarah looked at the time and noticed it was past noon. Toby was most likely on lunch break.

_Toby W.- Lol. I was hoping you didn't figure it out yet. The law firm with Dad is great, to answer your email. You're coming to the wedding, right?_

Sarah stared at the message until the screen-saver popped up and the back-light went out. She caught her reflection in the shiny surface of the black screen. What she saw made her stomach lurch.

Sarah was indeed forty-years old, but she did not look it. If she was being completely honest with herself, she barely passed for a student in her early twenties... which she has tried to pass as... twice.

Sarah stood and walked to her single bathroom in her apartment. She flipped a switch in an automatic movement and stared into the figure in the mirror. Her hands went up to smooth her fingers across her high cheek bones, covered in creamy, white skin. Too-perfect skin. Her eyes stared back at her, the jewel-tone emerald color shimmered in the fluorescent lighting. Sarah's hands moved upward to brush her fingers through her black locks, and combed them all the way to the ends of her hair that hung to her lower back. Her right hand came up to trace her large, expressive eyes, and then the perfect arch of her black eyebrows.

There was no flaw in Sarah Williams' face. Sarah knew she looked beautiful. However, she knew the problem when nobody else could see it.

* * *

Sarah had not aged since she graduated from high school. What was considered normal 'growing up' for any teenager ended for Sarah by the time she was eighteen. After that, she passed as a sophisticated, but young-looking, twenty-one year old. Her college classmates at NYU joked at the youthful presence Sarah had about her. It unnerved her deeply that as her friends and family got older, she remained frozen in her ethereal state.

Her lack of age was not her only problem. Sarah found that she had weird creatures, other than her goblins, following her. Faeries and nymphs occasionally appeared in her apartment in the middle of New York, bearing fruits and clothing for "Lady Sarah." As sweet as the gesture was, they hung about her, waiting for her to return the favors somehow. When she asked what they wanted in return, they said, "will Lady sing us a song?" As she sang to the creatures that gathered, they began to sway and glow earthy colors. Sarah stopped singing when she realized she was singing in a language she had _never_ heard before. Her refusal to sing in the strange language upset the faeries and nymphs greatly.

On a camping trip to Maine with her college friends, Sarah was attacked in her own tent by a drunken camping companion. In a desperate attempt to avoid being raped, she willed _something_ to get the attacker off of her. After falling unconscious during the brawl, Sarah awoke the next morning to find the attacker unconscious in a treetop, precariously tangled in vines.

Sarah discovered talents she never knew she had. She could differentiate a shade of a color and it's _true_ color. She could play the piano with skill that could rival Liszt, with perfect-pitch to boot.

Sarah could not help but feel frightened from all the changes, _and then lack of changes_, in her life. She just wanted to live a normal life: get an education, fall in love, get married, have children, and grow old spoiling grandchildren. By now, most of Sarah's friends from high school would be seeing their first, maybe second, kid off to college!

Sarah knew whatever was happening to her had to do with the Underground, that much was obvious. The goblins, the faeries, the weird powers; it all reeked of magic. _I reek of magic! _Sarah was afraid of what she was turning into. She knew that to protect her family, she would need to take the magic, _the weirdness_, with her, wherever she went.

Sarah came to Ireland as soon as she graduated from NYU with a bachelors in classical piano. For some reason, the green island called to her. As loud as the logical side of her brain was, she gave in to the urge to move there and get away from the people she knew. Sarah called it a "trip to find myself" when her parents wondered why she was going so far away. For a while, Sarah floated around the island, taking on different jobs. Sometimes as an assistant accompanist in a school band, or voice mentor in a choir. She found that her musical talents, as well as her beauty, was welcomed in Ireland.

She found work easily, but settled down for the long time in a cozy jazz bar down in County Cork. The jazz bar was an oddity in itself, McKenzie's Pub welcomed the wandering American and her unique piano skills with open arms. She stayed there for as long as she could pass off her age and then moved on.

By the time she turned thirty-four, Sarah had moved to the other side of Cork and applied for the associate job as a college professor. The university raised their eyebrows at the "twenty-four year old" applicant, but she got the job. They could not turn away her musical finesse.

* * *

Sarah was still working at the university. Sarah knew she would have to move on soon, just like everywhere else. She looked twenty-one and was trying to pass as thirty. She was glad that she mostly encountered college freshman and sophomores and not juniors or seniors. The boys, and sometimes the girls, found it hard to be "professional" around Professor Williams. Sarah made it clear to her students that, although she looked their age, she was still to have their utmost respect.

Sarah missed the life she used to have. When things were so simple, faery tales were just faery tales, and goblins were idle threats to misbehaving children. There were some things she would not change. She loved her life in Ireland, but she missed her family. She missed Toby.

_Oh, right. Toby._ Sarah walked down the small hallway and into the living room where she found her abandoned blackberry on the couch. The screen said she had several text messages from Toby and a calender alert for a voice lesson at two o'clock, and belated birthday e-cards from her co-workers. She scrolled down her inbox and read the messages from Toby that looked the most annoyed.

She read, _Hello? Have you fallen into a toilet or something? _And, _Hey lousy! I'm getting a tattoo on my ass of a bumblebee if you don't answer me! _And finally,_ Okay, fine don't answer me. I'll just take your lack of answer as a 'yes.' I have a meeting now, so wish me luck when you finally read this!_

Sarah chuckled and silently wished her little brother good luck. She quickly sobered at the realization that Toby planned on saving her a spot in the wedding. She would not see a problem with that if it wasn't for two things: one, that she had not seen her family since college and she didn't know if they would welcome the prodigal daughter, and two, she still looked like the last twenty years of her life had not passed.

_ Maybe I can sell it as some kind of facial cream. And lots of face-lifting. Hah, yeah they'd all buy that. _Even with an associate professor's salary added to the generous sum of money Aunt Dotty left Sarah after she passed away, it would not be able to cover the expenses of _that_ much surgery. Besides, anyone who knew Sarah would know that she could never stomach so much surgery. Just the idea of someone cutting into her flesh and replacing it at obscure angles over her face made her stomach do flip flops.

_Jeezy creezy, how am I going to pull this off? If I bail out on Toby's wedding, he'll never forgive me. I've used the "university won't give me time off, sorry I can't make it" maneuver enough to make the place sound like a sweatshop. _

Sarah clutched her her cell phone to her side as she crossed her arms over her ribcage, squeezing tightly so to keep herself from falling apart. She wished that deciding what to do about Toby's wedding was as simple as finding a flight for herself and a gift for the happy couple. But Sarah was convinced the universe had it in for her. That some higher being enjoyed sending a storm her way any time the sun began to brighten her day. _Well,_ Sarah's self pity quickly turned in to rage, _I think that higher being needs a swift kick in the balls for ruining my life. I've been a good person! _

"Rumor, I need you!" Sarah called out to the unnatural shadows about her apartment. She walked out of the living room and into her second bedroom/office. Inside, she had a vast collection of piano and song books arranged by genre and then year within the genre. The bookshelves took up the majority of wall space she had in the nicely proportioned room. What little space she had left was reserved for her office desk, picture window with view of the city, and cracked-leather futon. She had started to assemble her music scores and lesson plans in her saddle bag when a patter of feet across tile made her ears perk up. It didn't sound like Rumor's feet coming toward her. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when she saw the goblin that _did_ respond to her call. "Hello Hickle, how was... ehh... berry picking, was it?"

"Um... good, Lady Sarah." Hickle replied in a tense voice. Sarah confused with her friend's reaction to her inquiry. _Hickle is normally so relaxed. What's going on?_

"Hickle is something the matter today?" She silently prayed he wasn't having another fight with Mort. Those two _always_ had something to fret about.

"No, Lady Sarah."

Sarah wrinkled her nose at her given nickname and changed the subject. "Alright then. Can you tell me where Rumor is? I have a voice lesson soon and he usually comes with me." It wasn't that big of a deal that she couldn't wait for him to appear. When Rumor didn't go with her to the lesson, he often showed up in the middle of it. He never missed one before.

Hickle's odd behavior was putting her on edge. Something was up, and she wanted to find out.

Hickle's beady, black eyes went dull in his grotesque face at the mention of Rumor's whereabouts. "He'll be back," he said and turned from the door way and wobbled away.

"What the— hey! Now where are _you_ going?" Sarah dropped her saddle bag in her desk chair and ran after the goblin. "Hickle, I need to know where he is!" Sarah ran down her narrow hallway and into her living room. Why was _he_ running? Why was getting information from Hickle like pulling teeth? She looked around the room for the goblin. When she didn't notice any shadows quivering or furniture moving, she moved on.

_If I was a goblin, where would I hide? _Sarah moved silently. She willed her footsteps to be just a whisper of sound on her floor. _This is ridiculous. I can't play games now! I am too old for this... sort of. _Determined to find her flighty friend, she walked past her bathroom and headed toward her master bed—

"Wait a minute..." Sarah made a hairpin turn on her heel and hustled into her bathroom. She turned on the light and threw open the curtains to her shower-tub. "I see you, Hickle." And she did. She found him disguised as a shadow in the corner of her tile soap holder. She watched the shadow bulge and grow and turn into the sneaky informant.

"Why the hell did'ya look in here?" Hickle asked from the tub, a face of disbelief on his gruesome face.

"Because I know it's the one place you think I would never think to look for you. Now tell me what you know!" When he tried to bolt again, she pointed her finger at the bottom of the tub and shouted "Sit down!" Hickle immediately plopped down with an _oomph_ and looked at the glowing creature with amazement.

"Alright! I'll talk! P-please don't hurt me!" Hickle pleaded as he fisted his hands under his chin imploringly.

"I'm not going to hurt you Hickle. Just tell me _what's_ going _on_! _Why_ are you avoiding my questions? And _where_ is Rumor?" She stomped her foot on the ground, fed up with the childish antics. Sarah was going to be late to her voice lesson because Hickle was being ridiculous!

"Uhh... Rumor is..." He gulped audibly, "...below." He ducked his eyes from Sarah's penetrating gaze. She closed her eyes and could feel her temperature rise out of frustration. Below? What the hell does that mean? Below what, exactly? Below the apartment? The building? The ground—?

Sarah's heartbeat faltered in her chest. Her once burning face was now cold, the blood completely drained from her complexion. "Rumor is... U-underground?"

Hickle looked at the glowing creature. He knew she was scared because her light was dimming. He felt guilty for making the Lady scared. He nodded and confirmed her worst fears. "We was all summoned by King. He made us come back on Lady's birthday, see." Hickle pouted a little and crossed his arms, "King _always_ ruins fun."

_King? _Sarah shuddered at the mention of her oldest foe. Sarah tried to forget about the Goblin King for natural reasons; the main one being he freaked her out. As a teenager, she didn't realize how much danger she could have been in, how utterly idiotic it was to put her brother's life on the line because she wanted to be the heroine in her own story. Sarah could sometimes go months before the goblins mentioned the Goblin King. To the goblins, talking about the Goblin King was like discussing the latest insurance commercial— interesting, but not a big deal. Nevertheless, Sarah felt her childhood fears well up inside of her at the mention of the Goblin King's subtle meddling with her life.

_Why now? _ Was the question in the forefront of her train of thought. After twenty-five years of ignoring her goblin friends, he suddenly has need of them? _For what reason?_ Her fear for Rumor and the others in the clutches of the Goblin King was squelched by her anger. The lights in the bathroom flickered, but she ignored them. It would just figure that the wiring in her apartment would choose then to be faulty. Right when she needed to be most intimidating.

"What gives—" _ him the right to take you all from me? _She wanted to shout. The logical side of her brain reasoned that twenty-five years with a specific group of goblins did not make them _her_ subjects, did not make them her _anything, _really. For some reason, the Goblin King had use of her friends. _Jeezy Creezy, of all the goblins in his kingdom, he had to take mine? _

Sarah inhaled and exhaled slowly. There was no use scaring Hickle. He didn't do anything wrong... _I think. _"Did the... Goblin King tell you why he suddenly needed you back?"

Hickle wrung his wrinkled hands over and over again. "H-he said he wanted us to talk about the Lady's p-progress..."

She felt her stomach plummet down to her feet. "Progress? In w-what?" She could not think of anything about herself that would interest the Goblin King _now_. All the childish games ended a long time ago for herself and the Goblin King! Why would he be interested in her _progress_? _Years later!_

_Progress_... as in the progression of some form of _change_? _Or lack thereof?_ She could feel her knees begin to knock together. She braced her lithe frame against the bathroom sink behind her.

"Hickle? Did the Goblin King have something to do with—" she gestured frantically at her face and body—"this?" Her voice steadily became louder in the acoustical room. "Did he stop time for me?"

The hairs on Sarah's neck tickled and caused a shiver down her spine. Sarah watched Hickle's gaze move from her face to the doorway. She watched him intently as he slowly raised a trembling finger and pointed to the door way behind her. His mouth tried to form words, but the sound would not, _could_ not, escape farther than his tongue. "Th-th-the—!"

"Hello, Sarah."

* * *

AN: _Ooo la la!_ What happens next? Reviews are as sweet as mysterious songs sung by Lady Sarah!


	5. Chapter 5

**I'M STILL ALIVE! There really isn't a legitimate reason for my neglectfulness toward you precious readers... if you're still out there... hello? Anybody?**

**Thank you for sticking with this sluggish story. I have not abandoned it, and I appreciate the encouragement to continue! **

**Long story short: I lost my nerve when it came to updating this story. Hopefully I wont have that problem no mores. I have vocal competitions and recitals and plays barreling toward me with a lead foot on the gas pedal. I'm a little distracted. (Last sentence= HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT!)**

**BTW, this story is supremely un-beta'd. There will be typos and run-ons. If it becomes too much to bear, feel free to scold me via PM. **

**Mmmkay, methinks that is all. Thanks again for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth or any bragging rights. **

* * *

_"Hickle? Did the Goblin King have something to do with—" she gestured frantically at her face and body—"this?" Her voice steadily became louder in the acoustical room. "Did he stop time for me?"_

_ The hairs on Sarah's neck tickled and caused a shiver down her spine. Sarah watched Hickle's gaze move from her face to the doorway. She watched him intently as he slowly raised a trembling finger and pointed to the door way behind her. His mouth tried to form words, but the sound would not, could not, escape farther than his tongue. "Th-th-the—!"_

_ "Hello, Sarah."_

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut; terror seized her body. The unfamiliar voice behind her line of sight gave her chills from the nape of her neck to her knocking knees. _Whoever it is, _she thought, gritting her teeth, _I have to be brave for Hickle! _Sarah whirled around and sized up the intruder. Relieved and terrified at the same time, the fact that someone had broken in to her house, knew her name, and was now within arms length of her body made something snap inside her mind.

Sarah reached for the first weapon she could reach: a bar of hand soap, and threw it at the unfamiliar man in her bathroom. "Who the _hell_ are _you_? What are you _doing_ in _my house_?"

Adrenaline began pumping through her veins, fueled her desire to save herself and Hickle from the creep in her home. _If Hickle is afraid of him,_ she kept thinking as she proceeded to empty her bathroom of throw-able items,_ then so am I!_

Sarah could barely make out what the intruder was trying to say over the blood rushing in her ears. "WHAA! Relax! You don't understand! I'm not going to hurt you! Ow! Stop that!"

Sarah felt tugging at her right elbow, but continued to sail toilet paper rolls through the air in the man's general direction. "Get out before I call the cops, you creep!"

"Lady Sarah, you must stop _NOW_!"

Sarah dropped the bottle of nail polish in her left hand and looked at the frightened goblin who just shouted over the clamor. "W-what? Hickle, don't be ridiculous! I don't have time for your nonsense! This isn't a game!" All the while Sarah was trying to explain to Hickle that the man in her bathroom was not nice, she overheard him mumbling to himself. She caught the word "mortal" through his half-unintelligible murmuring and felt her face pale.

Sarah whirled around to face the intruder. "What did y-you just say?" She barely heard her own voice, the whisper, she thought, he would not hear and she would have to repeat herself.

"I said, 'You're treating me like some common, mortal burglar!'"

Sarah looked down at Hickle's solemn face as he stood still, eyeballing the intruder warily. _Why would Hickle be so afraid, but not let me fight the man?_ Her head was spinning from the inconstant vibes she was getting from the goblin and the man in her bathroom. All she wanted to do was get the creeper out of her house before she really lost it. She was going through a checklist of self-defense moves in her head when she said, "what do you mean 'mortal?' Who are you?"

The man clicked his heels together, straightened his posture and inclined his upper body in a regal bow. "King Zander of the Summer Court, at your service, my Lady!"

Sarah snorted in disbelief and gave the 'king' a once over. She looked at what he was wearing and could not help but notice the similar fashion style of the man in her bathroom to the Goblin King. The puffy sleeved, collared shirt looked the same, same as the tight breeches and riding boots. This king wore a forest green, velvet jacket. His hair was a golden color, and reminded her of sun-kissed surfer dudes she often saw at the beaches around the coast. She looked in to the delusional man's face and could not help but notice how enchantingly beautiful the he appeared. His sharp cheekbones and nose gave him a hawkish look, and his purple— _purple?— _eyes were looking straight at Sarah in a calculatingly amused way.

Sarah looked down at Hickle again and received a head nod from the creature. He was still shaking and wringing his hands, but he showed no disrespect to the man in her bathroom.

_Okay, either he really is a king, or a really freaky, role-playing serial killer with delusions of grandeur. God help me, I'm going to believe the former. _Against her better judgment, Sarah decided to play it civilly and get answers from King Zander. "Why are you here?"

"Because Jareth sent me."

Sarah choked on her spit a little. _Real suave. _She attempted to hide her surprise behind a firm tone. "Then _why_ did he send you?" she demanded.

"Oh normal security run to check out recent magical activity, warn you of future visits, blah blah blah..." he trailed off, apparently boring himself with his own duties.

"Wait, warn me of what?"

"There was one other thing I was supposed to do... oh, what was it?" He tapped one gloved finger against his jutted-out chin. "Oh well. I hope it wasn't important. It'll come to me sooner or later, I guess." He brought his hand back and clasped both arms behind his back and shrugged.

"No, no, no. You said 'warn me!' Warn me of what?" Sarah couldn't believe his nonchalance.

King Zander smiled reassuringly. "Relax! It's all under control." It only made Sarah angrier.

"Why should I believe you?" Her delicate fists balled up at her sides. She _really_ wanted to hit him. _Where did all this violence come from?_

Her question seemed to genuinely stump him, which did not comfort Sarah in the least. He finally said, "Haven't the foggiest. But you'll need to trust me sooner or later. Right now Jareth and I are the only people pulling for Team Sarah, so it'll be good for you to know your allies." He looked at her with a serious face. Sarah gulped.

"You're on my side? People have to choose sides?"

"Hopefully... it won't come to that. Don't worry your pretty little head. We're going to be friends, you'll see!" He looked about the room and spotted the goblin cowering behind Sarah's body. Looking at Hickle seemed turn on a light in his head. King Zander then walked out of the bathroom as if he had just remembered something. "Now where did those creatures run off to?" He mumbled and began searching about Sarah's apartment, not caring if she followed.

Sarah watched the king leave and then jumped in to action. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Sarah tugged Hickle along behind her as she stalked off in the direction of the easily-distracted king. Her mind was a flurry of unanswered questions that she was determined to—

"Well, lookie here! You sure have grown." Called a gravelly voice from the opposite end of the hallway. Sarah turned quickly, immediately recognizing the voice.

"HOGGLE!" Sarah stood there, staring at the short, stout goblin in her bedroom doorway. She knelt to the ground when he came lumbering her way and gave him the biggest hug she could. Tears tickled her eyes at the sight of her long-lost friend. All the years of missing him and wishing he could have been there for her when she needed him lost their importance. _Oh, I've missed him so much!_

"Gahh! Can't... BREATHE!" Sarah released Hoggle from her death grip of a hug and settled on grasping his forearms. She could not bring herself to break contact with her friend for the fear of him disappearing once more from her life. He seemed to read her mind and patted her cheek as best as her grip on him would allow, "Don't worry, I ain't goin' nowheres fast."

"What are you doing here? Why didn't you answer when I called for you?" She wanted to ask him every single question that was running through her brain at lightening speed, but settled for the two easiest. She vaguely heard what sounded like King Zander's shoes clicking on the tile toward the hallway from the living room.

"I came to see you! The restraint lifted only three days ago, so I came as fasts I'could!"

King Zander's footsteps stopped right behind Sarah's kneeling figure. "Ah, Hoggle my good ma— er... dwarf!"

"What restraint?" Sarah asked. She didn't like feeling so confused. _Hoggle will give me answers! _ She thought gleefully.

"_Ahem. _You should allow Jareth to explain that one to the Lady, Hoggle."

Sarah's ears perked up and her pulse quickened. "Jareth is coming, too?" Sarah did _not_ like the sound of that. Would he make her run the Labyrinth again? Would he _trick_ her in to doing it? Will he use her friends as hostages this time? _No, no, no. None of that makes any sense! So why would he come back? _Sarah's blood began to boil under the surface of her skin. She wanted to shoot the messenger now more than ever.

"Right you are! That's what I needed to discuss with you." King Zander tapped her shoulder as he walked around to face her. "My 'warning,' which I so aptly named, was so you would not be shocked beyond belief when Jareth _does_ eventually show up. Ancients forbid a reenactment of that fiasco in the bathroom!" He chuckled heartily to himself. When he realized nobody else found his joke humorous, he stopped. Hoggle rolled his eyes. Sarah couldn't find it in her to calm down.

"Well, I think it's within reason I should react that way. You scared me half to death!" Was it normal for people to pop in and out of places in the Underground? _Is nothing private to these people?_

"Never fear, King Zander is here!" He threw out his arms is a dramatic gesture. _Oh please,_ Sarah thought. This time, Sarah and Hoggle _and_ Hickle rolled their eyes perfect three-part harmony. Sarah's fear of the king was diminishing at a rapid rate. "Hopefully my little warning will keep you from positively bursting to flames when Jareth arrives." He formed air quotes around 'bursting to flames' and shook his head. Sarah was willing to bet the farm that Zander was indeed quoting the Goblin King. _What an ass! Why would he assume I would burst in to flames? _The logical side of her brain replayed the scene in the bathroom. _Oh. Good call, Goblin King._

Sarah did not care what form the answers to her questions came at this point. She fought the urge to rip her hair out, she felt so _frustrated_! All she wanted was for her questions to be answered, and then to be left alone! _No more surprise visits from the Underground! No more faery tricks! _"So when will he show up? When can I get my answers?"

"I better get on with my duties." Zander beat a hasty retreat from Sarah's angry gaze and wandered back toward the living room. "So, tell me... have strange, Unseelie creatures come in contact with you lately?"

"What?"

"You know... er, winter hags, red caps, selkies, kelpies, anything of that dark, Unseelie nature?"

"No."

"Good. I think." Zander began sniffing the air. He would walk a few feet, stop, sniff the air, and then repeat. He continued his curious movements about the room. Finally, he stopped and huffed out a lung full of air. "I believe you, but this place still smells of Unseelie magic. I suppose the creature could have entered without coming in contact..." He started mumbling less coherently and more to himself, pausing occasionally to sniff the air again or examine and object up close.

Sarah swiped a television remote out of his hand. "What entered? How do you know you're not smelling yourself?"

King Zander guffawed, genuinely amused. "_Please_. I smell like sunshine and faery wine." He nudged Hoggle with his knee, as if to pass on the funny. "Besides," he continued, "I am Seelie."

"Oh," Sarah muttered. She felt just as stumped as he did. The king mistook her confusion for something else.

"Seelie is benevolent magic. Purely goodness." King Zander brushed invisible dust off his shoulder as he spoke. "So that would make Unseelie magic..."

"Malevolent." Sarah deadpanned. Of course she already knew the difference between Seelie and Unseelie. Child's play!

"Correct!" He clapped, pleased with his teaching expertise.

"I guess that would make the Goblin King Unseelie."

"Wrong."

"What?"

Hoggle spoke up, "Sarah, Jareth's kingdom's fully Seelie. It's a serious thing ta be Unseelie in the Underground."

"He is an admirable king. Loved by all his subjects." Zander nodded confirmation.

"_Hmph._ I ain't sayin' _that_ much." Hoggle scowled at the Summer Court king.

Sarah felt a weird chill pass from her ears to the nape of her neck and down her elbows. She instinctively looked down the hallway where her bedroom was. "Did you hear that?" She asked anyone listening.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said, 'did you—' oh never mind!" Sarah walked away from the two goblins and the king and stalked in to her bedroom. When she looked inside, Sarah found a sight for sore eyes. Her missing goblins— Rumor, Mort, Cackle, Grumble and others— were entering her room through her full-length mirror. Flot was just tugging his right leg out of the makeshift portal when Rumor squealed: "LADY SARAH!"

Every withered, horrid face turned toward Sarah and broke in to huge smiles. They stampeded toward her and tackled her kneecaps, euphonious screams of elated goblins filled the room. Sarah was happy and mad and confused all at the same time. She tried to push her questions out of her mind and just enjoy being with the goblins she had grown to love and care for.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked the group. She gave them a once over, and then a twice over before she felt she could relax. _They're home! _ Was all she thought as they told her of their adventure in the Underground.

"King had jobs for us, Lady Sarah! We were his helpers!" Rumor's eyes glistened with admiration as he spoke of his Goblin King. "We had lots of fun! And no baths!" The goblins seemed to agree that the 'no baths' part of their trip was the best part.

"Yes, I can smell you." She made a dramatic display of pinching her nose with one hand and waving the other back and forth in front of her face.

Sarah continued listening to the goblins tell her everything, and yet, nothing, of their trip to the Underground. She ignored the onlooking king and made a silent vow to protect her friends from the terror to come, however it comes.

* * *

King Zander watched the reunion of the Lady and her subjects, pleased with the love and warmth that filled the air. He left Sarah safely in the hands of the goblins and made his exit.

The Summer king felt like the mission was a success, a grand success! The Lady Sarah would soon meet his brother and all should go according to plan. He smiled to himself as he pulled out the crystal Jareth gave him for returning home. _Quite the handy contraption_, Zander mused.

Soon enough, he stood in the study of the Goblin King. His older brother was standing by a large fireplace. _Brooding is more like it. _Jareth knew immediately who had entered his den.

"So how did you like mortal hospitality?" Jareth asked from the fireplace.

Zander huffed, "don't act like you don't know. She can be quite the feisty little creature." Zander rubbed a sore spot on his collar bone created by one of her numerous, airborne toiletries.

Jareth understood his meaning. He smiled. "How like a goblin she is."

"Yes. And like a queen, as well."

* * *

A few hours had passed since the surprise visit with the Summer King. After getting all the goblins settled down again, she went to her special spot to calm herself down. Sarah looked out on the city lights from the roof top of her apartment building. She slipped off her shoes and rubbed her toes in the dewy grass as she watched the twilight turn to darkness. The roof top was truly a magnificent sight at night; the fresh colors of spring just awakening in the park-like greenery. Sarah felt that the gardens there seemed to emit their own kind of light when the sun went down, like they each had their own little suns within them, feeding them even in the darkest parts of the night. Despite the beautiful pieces of nature that seemed to thrive wherever Sarah went, their absolute willingness to be aesthetically dazzling, she felt nothing could detach her attention from the beauty of Ireland's city night-lights.

After slipping her shoes back on to her slender feet, Sarah stood from the stone bench and walked to the edge of the roof top. She crossed her forearms and rested them on the wall. The concrete wall that surrounded the perimeter of the roof was just low enough that Sarah could lean over the edge and look at the road beneath her. She watched as people walked about the streets, minding their own business. She could hear the music coming from the pub three blocks down as a local band performed for the people. Others mingled, smoked, talked, laughed, and went their separate ways with the assurance that the next day would be just as wonderful as the last.

Sarah sighed and rested her forehead against her crossed arms and wished her life could be as simple. She envied them all.

Sarah pondered her feelings toward the rest of the world. _I thought I moved on. I accepted this isolated life years ago. Why is everything changing again? _She felt like a child for allowing herself another pity party. When the self-loathing became too much for ever her dramatic tastes, Sarah turned from the view of the outside world and made her way back inside.

Down the stairwell, across the hall, and in to the elevator. Sarah moved as if on auto-pilot back to her apartment. She stepped inside the dimly lit room and hesitated before turning on the lights. _What, no more surprise attacks? I'm shocked. _Sarah looked toward the sleeping shadows in the room before her gaze settled on Hoggle on the couch. His feet were bare save the holey socks on his feet. His slippers on the ground below him and no harm to the clean furniture. She smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"Done wallowin'?" Hoggle scoffed. Sarah chuckled at his blunt inquiry and sat next to him. She felt so happy to have him back, despite her ignorance of the subject of _why_ she lost him in the first place.

"Where did you go?" Sarah asked. She assumed he would know to what she was referring.

"It ain't where I went, Sarah. It's where I wasn't allowed to leave." He looked at her with a serious tone. She waited for him to continue. Hoggle sighed. "I heard ya every time ya called me, but I couldn't leave because of the restraint."

"The restraint?" Sarah said softly.

"Magic stuff. I don't think I can explain it to ya right." He folded his arms across his chest and sank deeper into the couch. Sarah huffed in exasperation. Right when Hoggle was getting somewhere he closed off!

"Hoggle, that's not fa—!" She caught herself before she completed her sentence. She tried again in a calmer tone. "Hoggle, I don't want anyone else to explain things to me! I just want you and me and the goblins to be safe away from this mess! I want nothing more to do with the Goblin King or his minions."

"Whaddaya think I am, Sarah? I work for Jareth just like every other goblin. I ain't no exception." Hoggle shrugged.

"No, Hoggle. You are an exception! You're my friend! We can get away from the Goblin King, us and Rumor and Flot and..." She trailed off when Hoggle began to somberly shake his head.

"That's enough crazy talk now, Sarah." Hoggle jumped down from the couch and turned back to face Sarah's desperate expression. "There's no escapin' him. You're stronger than that, to run away like a coward. I know. I was there." He chuckled at the memory of them running the Labyrinth together. All those years ago. Sarah just scowled at the reminder. "Goodnight, my Lady." He bowed slightly and wandered in to the shadows.

_I was _so close_ to getting answers! What kind of hold does he _have_ on them? _Sarah fumed silently from the couch. Hoggle was giving in. He was giving up. Sarah was shocked that Hoggle could just... _give_. _Well, I'm not afraid of the_ _Goblin King_. Sarah could feel the plan forming in her head. _I'll get out of dodge, Goblin King. And I'm taking your subjects, _my friends_, with me!

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**Heh heh, so who was expecting Jareth to show up? Did I fool anyone? ;D**

**Ok, so less of a cliffy, I hope. I'ma try to get better at updating. Scout's honor!**

**In the mean time, click on that review button and tell me what you think. Good or bad- I'd love to hear from you all. REVIEWS = UPDATES!  
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	6. Chapter 6

***Taps microphone and gets feedback***

**Ahem. H-hello? Is anyone out there?**

**Hehe. Soooo... how long has it been since my last update? Yeah. Too long. My bad. **

**Thanks so much to the people who encouraged/demanded updates! You guys are awesome :3 This one goes out to you! **

**Disclaimer thing: I don't own any of these shmoopiewoopiekins'. They are totes NOT my brain children!  
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The lilting voice of the mezzo soprano filled the resonant classroom with rich overtones. Sarah accompanied her student, Mary, at the piano with ease, sight-reading the music while watching her student in the mirror she had propped up next to her. Sarah made mental notes on how to improve her student: where she needed to adjust her vowel sounds, how she can more easily glide up to her high notes, and—_ I knew she would miss i__t. It's always the same spot!__—_where she needed to fix the entrance she always seemed to miscalculate. Despite Sarah's seemingly harsh exterior as a voice teacher, she was quite fond of each and every one that came to her. Sarah lacked the experience a striving vocal student sought for in a mentor, and yet, students still lined up at her door. Sarah had an ear for music no other professor could compete with, and most everybody knew it.

When the student reached the end of the song, Sarah skipped playing the last four measures of piano and jumped right in to her list of things for the student to practice of over the weekend.

"...And when you sing the 'le' in the last stanza of page three, lift the soft pallet and it will come out much cleaner on that high G," Sarah said, skimming through the musical piece at lightning speed one last time to make sure she didn't miss any notes. Once she was satisfied, she bid her student goodbye and went about packing her things to go home.

Sarah was very pleased with finally finishing her long schedule of private voice lessons. Out of all the classes she taught, out of all the lectures she gave, nothing exhausted her more than one-on-one time with her vocal students. Sarah had been going home more exhausted than usual, _ever since that visit from King Zander_, she thought. She figured it was from the mental and emotional stress he caused her. _It's not every day that one is attacked, interrogated, and forewarned of future visit__s by creepy, royal Fae._ At least, she hoped not.

Sarah stopped packing her tote bag when she realized she packed all the wrong musical scores. _What is wrong with me?_ She poured out her tote and began repacking, determined to stay alert long enough to get it right. One score slipped out of her fingers and fell to the ground by her piano. Sarah grumbled and picked it back up. _I wish I had my little helper with me_, Sarah thought sadly.

For the past two weeks, Sarah attended her voice lessons without Rumor to come and keep her company. _Now him and the __other __goblins are busy with God knows what, and I'm all alone._ To Sarah it seemed that the goblins only happened to be home when she was asleep, and "out" when she came home after work. She rarely had the chance to interact with her little friends anymore. If she inquired about their frequent absences from her household, they would tell her "King has jobs for us in castle, Lady Sarah!" and they would run away again. The only constant she had was Hoggle, but he never left the apartment.

Sarah began scolding herself again for losing focus again when a knock came to her classroom door. _Odd_, she thought. _Perhaps__ Mary forgot something on her way out_. Sarah looked at the music stand behind her and saw that it was empty. _Oh__,__ well__, perhaps__ not_. "Come in, the door is open!" Sarah shouted, and turned back to her packing. _This is taking way too long. I should have been out of here ten minutes ago._She didn't bother turning to address the intruder for fear of it taking up even more time.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Williams?" A baritone voice inquired.

Sarah felt she recognized the voice, but could not quite place it. She looked in the mirror beside her, the reflection showing her a handsome, male, college student standing a ways behind her. She didn't recognize him, so she continued packing. "Yes, I am. And, as you can see, I am also leaving. So if you're wanting a conference, I'm afraid I don't time." She made brief eye contact with the student through the mirror. She forced herself to continue packing, despite the familiar feeling he gave her. She would have felt bad for being short with the stranger if it wasn't for her eagerness to get home.

"Well now," the student began, she could almost hear him smirking; "I seem to remember reordering time for _you_. Can't you find it in yourself to do the same for _me_?"

Sarah stopped everything. Stopped breathing, stopping blinking, _everything_; her demeanor immediately went on the defensive. _Did he just say…? No. He couldn't have._ Sarah looked at the student in the mirror. His expression was innocent and concerned, as if her sudden change of posture startled him. She slowly turned and looked at the student with her own eyes for the first time. But he wasn't there. In the place the boy _should_ _have_ been, now stood the Goblin King in all his dark, menacing glory.

Sarah gasped and threw her body back in an attempt to put as much distance between herself and the intruder as possible, consequently crushing her body against the piano and sending papers and books flying all about her. She felt her body temperature sky rocket. She could hear her quickened pulse pounding in her ears. Her hands, that gripped the piano for support, became slick with sweat. _This isn't real!_ Her mind screamed. _This cannot be happening!_Sarah spun around and squeezed her eyes tightly shut; trying to pretend what she saw behind her was just her over-worked mind playing tricks on her. _You're tired, Sarah. Exhausted. He isn't really there! _

The sound of a throat being cleared brought Sarah back to reality. She cracked one eye open and peered in the glass of her mirror once more, hoping with all her might that what she saw would be gone. There stood the student, anxiously waiting for the insane woman to get a grip on whatever episode she was currently having. "Are you alright, Miss?" The student looked as if he was ready to run for his life.

Feeling guilty for freaking the kid out, Sarah attempted to cover up her mental break-down. "I'm sorry, for a moment I thought you were someone else." She turned around again. "I guess I must be tir—WAAAHHH!" There, again, before her eyes, stood the Goblin King. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Sarah screamed at the top of her lungs. "What did you do with the kid that was here a second ago?" Sarah felt sick with what could have happened to the poor, innocent boy.

"Calm down, Sarah dear. There is no boy." The Goblin King laughed at her, obviously amused with something she didn't understand. "What you saw was a glamour. Nothing more." The Goblin King placed his fists on his hips and cocked his head to one side, still very amused with Sarah's frazzled state.

"B-but, he was there—here!—a moment ago! He looked so real!" The nervous woman searched the large classroom for any sign of the kid she just saw. Part of her worried there _was_ a kid, and the king before her had harmed him in some brutal way. The rest of her worried the kid was never there, which would leave her alone in a sound-proof room with the menacing man before her. Sarah started to hyperventilate; the Goblin King's presence overwhelmed her more than she felt possible. She sat down on the piano bench next to her, all the while keeping her eyes trained on the king before her. "What are you doing here?" She demanded.

The Goblin King's amused face fell. "I'm afraid I have some rather urgent matters to discuss with you, Sarah." He sighed, and, for a moment, looked just as tired as Sarah felt. Something deep within her felt sorry for him, but she quickly squelched the feeling. Anger took its place. The king made a show of checking out her body before saying: "You look _ravishing_ by the way." His sultry tone sent unwanted chills down her spine. The woman glared. The king smirked. "I understand that you have questions for me, Sarah. And I intend to answer all of them. But our situation is a difficult one. You are going to have to… trust me about what I have to say."

Sarah scoffed. "Like hell. Why on earth would I trust _you_? All you have ever done is send me running for my life through a freaking death trap! That doesn't exactly scream 'trustworthy!'"

The Goblin King rolled his eyes. "I only ever did what you asked of me. That is beside the point anyway." He walked toward her. Sarah cringed away slightly. "You need to trust me _now_ because you are in danger," he said with complete seriousness.

Sarah gaped at him and sputtered "I can't just do that! I can't just _give_ you my trust! Do you know how_ impossible_ that sounds?" Sarah threw her arms up in frustration. "This whole situation is_ ridiculous_!" she cried. "You show up after—what, twenty-five years?—and think you can just waltz into my life? The life that would have been _normal_ if it wasn't for you?" The king cringed at her words. "I know you had something to do with my not being able to age!" Sarah stood from the seat, but didn't move any closer. "Was this your revenge? Because I beat your stupid, little game?"

The Goblin King reacted to Sarah's strong accusations. "No. I did not act out of revenge like some petty fool. What I did was necessary." His tone grew harsh. "Yes. I did act without your consent. I did do something that is considered an unthinkable crime in the Underground. But I am not in the least sorry." His hand rose to halt Sarah's retort. "I am here to answer your questions, Sarah. I am not here to fight with you," he said adamantly.

Sarah bristled under his statement. His self-righteous tone made her feel rather childish. _Of course_ she wanted to fight with him! All of her anger and frustration _finally_ had a victim! Sarah reluctantly admitted to herself that the Goblin King had a point. Fighting was useless in his case. He would only cooperate so long as she did.

"Fine," Sarah said. "No fighting." _I can be civil_, she thought heatedly. "What did you do to me and when?" She crossed her arms and scowled at the man across the room from her, waiting for her answer.

"The moment you defeated me, twenty-five years ago, I placed an… enchantment of sorts on you." The Goblin King was obviously choosing his words carefully. "To put it lightly, I made you Fae."

"You… _what?"_

"Yes. That's exactly what my father said when he found out," The Goblin King mused at the memory.

"Can you take it back? Undo it or… _something_?" Sarah felt sick. She didn't want to believe what she was hearing. To be Fae would be terrible! She just wanted to live a normal life, for God's sake. _This can't be real,_ she thought, horrified.

"Sarah, I am afraid I cannot do that. What has happened to you is permanent at this point. Even if I did have the power to change it, I know for a fact I would not even consider it."

Sarah quietly took in everything she was hearing. She felt her pulse quickening again. "So then, at one point, _this_ wasn't permanent? I _could_ have been normal?"

The king sighed, and appeared to struggle with a way to explain. "…Not exactly. You were never _normal_, Sarah. What you are now, I am almost positive you were destined to become sooner or later. Naturally, I preferred the sooner." The Goblin King smiled, obviously _very_ pleased with his handy work.

"What makes you think you have a say in my destiny at all, you bastard? You have no power over me, remember?" She was so _confused_! So _frustrated_! How _dare_ he manipulate her life to suit _his_ needs, whatever the hell they were?

"Yes, dear. You are quite right, dear." He smirked at her. She wanted to hit him for patronizing her. "I cannot answer all of your questions now, and for that I _am_ sorry." He paused. "Because of what you are now, whether you like it or not, you are becoming a danger to yourself and those around you." He waved his hand and a plush chair appeared right in front of Sarah. Sarah jumped back and wobbled off balance. She landed on her bum right in the middle of her piano bench. The Goblin King gracefully descended in to the plush seat. He continued, "You have magical powers, Sarah, that are developing deep within you. Powers that the majority of the Fae population would _kill_ to have." His velvet voice became even softer. "However, if you are not careful, the darkness of our world, the Unseelie side, will consume you." Sarah felt fear grip her heart. Although it wasn't visible in his eyes, Sarah knew the king feared his own words. "I can teach you, just as I was taught, to tame the magic within you. You have the choice to be either Seelie… or Unseelie."

Sarah nodded her head to show she understood what she just heard. Sarah never thought she would have to make such a ridiculous decision. She was still trying to convince herself that this was all an elaborate dream her exhausted mind created! Is it possible that she just passed out on her piano? Or could she even be at home in her comfy bed, dreaming this whole scene? As badly as she wanted either of those things to be true, Sarah knew in her heart that what the Goblin King was telling her was the truth, and he seemed to be awaiting an answer.

"Ok… So I am like _you_ now." She felt sick toward her own admission. "And I have magical powers. And there is a chance that I can tame my powers before I become some big, bad Unseelie thing." Her statement curled more into a question at the end. Of course she didn't want to be Unseelie. What she learned as a young girl, whether from bedtime stories or fairytale books, Unseelie was dangerous magic. No, she didn't want there to be a chance that she could become a hazard to anyone or anything. She gulped.

"Of course," the Goblin King confirmed. "We can begin your training immediately." His mood brightened abruptly as he clapped his gloved hands together, causing Sarah to whip her head back in surprise. "I shall take you to my castle where we can—"

"NO!" Sarah shouted, cutting off the kings planning. "No, no, no, no. No. No. Out of the question." She jumped out of her seat and grabbed her half filled tote. "I have changed my mind. I'll fight this darkness on my own. I am not going anywhere with you." She passed the king's seated figure, barely acknowledging his chuckling movements, and strode toward the door. "Be sure to turn off the lights on your wa—YAHH!" She screamed right as she walked face first in to a wall. _Well, it _felt_ like a wall_. It was actually the Goblin King's chest. The force of her impact was enough to send her staggering backwards. "How did you…? Oh, nevermind! Step aside, please. I am going home." Sarah said sternly. She thought for a moment he would actually comply. But she chanced a glance at his face and was struck by his dazzling beauty; made immobile by his enchanting, mismatched gaze. She felt her body become warm, and her stomach tightened with unfamiliar fluttering. Her breath hitched when his face ducked down closer to her eye level. _He is so_ tall, she thought. Now his heavenly scent was even more intense as a result of his close proximity.

"I heard you have been invited to a wedding, my dear." He said silkily, his sweet breath blowing cool air in her face.

"I'm sorry, w-what was that?" _He did __just __say something, didn't he? _She sighed mentally.

The Goblin King chuckled and Sarah tried to clear her mind of the daze he put her in. "I said, 'I hear you have been invited to a wedding, my dear.' Too bad you cannot attend," he tisked, "what with your… _questionable_ appearance and all." The Goblin King shook his head, his hair moving about his smirking face. "_Such_ a pity."

Sarah finally realized what he was saying to her. She felt her face grow hot with her heightening anger and decided to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now move out of my way." She tried to shove him aside, but the moment her arm became airborne, the Goblin King caught her dainty hand and held it in his tight grasp.

"Wouldn't you love to see your family again? To see Toby?" He implored with sincerity. His words alarmed her. _Why is he bringing this up? What's his aim?_

She tried to rip her hand from his hold. He held it tighter. She grew more nervous. "What's it to you? Why are you bringing that up?"

"Because I know you miss them. How long has it been Sarah? Think of all the holidays and birthdays you have missed. And now this! How could you even consider missing your only brother's wedding?" Every word that fell past his lips grinded down on her guilty conscience. He hit the nail right on the head.

"Because I look like _this_! Because of what _you_ made me! You _know_ I can't let them see me this way!" She felt the tears well up in her eyes, threatening to overflow. She tried again to take back her hand, but to no avail. Sarah settled on hiding her face from the Goblin King.

He gripped her chin and forced her gaze to meet his own penetrating one. "It does not have to be this way, Sarah." His voice was surprising gentle; a strong contrast to the accusing tone from before.

She jerked her face and hand away. "What do you mean?"

"If you agree to my terms, I can teach you everything you need to know about controlling your glamour before mortals." Sarah cringed at the discriminating word: _mortals_. She still didn't want to believe she was not also a mortal.

Sarah crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her left foot. "Not happening. I don't like your terms." She paused. "How do I know this isn't a trap, anyway?"

The handsome king's posture relaxed and a smile graced his otherworldly features. He twisted his wrist and began playing with a conjured crystal. "Believe it or not, Sarah, but I have your best interest at heart. I only want what is best for you." Another crystal appeared. He began twirling them in the same hand while focusing on her face. "Consider: you have barely a month before Toby's wedding. That is, barely a month that you would have to spend with me in my castle. And all that time would be toward your benefit." Another crystal joined the others. Sarah continued listening to his offer, all the while watching his graceful movements in rapt fascination. "You could learn how to control yourself from becoming an Unseelie Fae, learn how to protect the ones you love, and gain the ability to visit said loved ones." The crystals in his hand flashed, their gleaming surfaces shimmered and emitted a bright light of beautiful colors before dimming and transforming into a single crystal. The very colors Sarah shielded her eyes from appeared to be captured within the crystal the Goblin King now held about her eye level. "You were not destined to be alone forever, Sarah." He said, even more gently, "After all… You are no ordinary girl."

Sarah looked in to the face of her once-upon-a-time enemy. His gaze held something… _soft_. Something not unfamiliar to his face. Sarah thought she could remember where she saw that same expression of… _hope_ if she thought hard enough, but she didn't have time to analyze him at the moment. She was too busy calculating his offer. _Can I really be considering this?_ Sarah didn't trust the Goblin King, _not by a long shot_, but he _did_ have a valid point. If she didn't take the risk and allow him to help her, she might end up hurting her family. Hurting _Toby_! After all she went through to protect him, she was not about to go back on all her efforts. _It would only be until the wedding. And then__,__ I__'m on my own__._She looked up toward the Fae king with a determined expression.

"Have you made your decision?" The Goblin King's voice was filled with barely-contained excitement, apparently having already deciphered her expression.

"Yes, I have." _Be strong, girl_, she pepped herself. "I will allow you to train me in your castle. You will teach me how to shoo away the darkness and how to control my appearance so I can see my family. But after the wedding, our lessons come to an end, got it?" _Take that, Goblin King._

The free hand that was not holding the crystal began stroking his chin in contemplation. He snapped his fingers. "There _is_ the chance that you will not accomplish both of your goals in the allotted time, Sarah. And that simply will not do. No, your lessons may end when you are ready."

Sarah stamped her foot. "Not a chance! Do you realize how disgustingly _vague_ that sounds?" _He really is trying to trap me there forever! _

"You are right. It needs something…" The king hummed in thought. He began tossing the crystal up and down in his right hand. Up and down. Up and down. Up and—suddenly, the crystal paused in midair, as if tethered by a string. Sarah gasped when the crystal did not immediately obey the laws of gravity and looked at the king. His face was alight with mischief. _Oh no__._

"Alright, Sarah. Because you are determined to be rid of me _so quickly_, I have a solution that will satisfy us both." The crystal continued to hang in the air, even after he moved both arms behind his back. His face handsome face was smug, the perfect picture of arrogance as he bounced lightly on the balls of his boot-clad feet. "When you have perfected the glamour, can safely maintain your Seelie magic, and create a crystal just like the one you see there—"he pointed toward the floating orb—"then our magic lessons will end and you may return to your home. Sound satisfactory?"

Sarah pondered the implications of his words, looking for loopholes, while eyeballing the crystal before her. "I may return home… for good?"

He nodded once. "For good."

"And you will answer all of my questions?"

"As soon as I can, as best as I can."

Sarah sighed. _This is happening so fast, it's making my head spin._ She pointed at the glassy crystal and asked "What is that, anyway?"

The Goblin King scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "Magic."

_Good enough for me._ "Ok," she said slowly as she pushed her right hand out for a handshake to seal their deal. "Deal?" She asked expectantly.

The Goblin King's smile was infectious, even Sarah couldn't quite keep herself from smiling along with him. He threw his right arm in to the air, arching it and scooping the crystal in to his cupped hand, and brought it back down to meet Sarah's outstretched one in a single, fluid motion. The crystal shattered between their fused grips; shards rained from above their heads like glitter. Sarah's hand tingled from the tips of her fingers to the crook of her elbow.

The Fae woman shivered.

The Fae king laughed heartily.

"_Deal_."

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**Meh. Did you like the way they met? Not exactlyyy what I had in mind, but I'm just following their lead, I s'pose.**

**Welllll... I'm not going to get down and BEGGG for reviews, but you know. Leave me a lil' sum-sum if ya feeel like it ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7

**How's that for a speedy update, huh? :D I am quite proud of myself. Not only was it more timely than the rest, it's longer by 1000 words. Boyah.**

**Thanks to everybody that reviewed last chapter! You guys are so cute! FREE JARETH'S FOR EVERYBODY! (not really.)**

**I hope everybody had a fabulous weekend, btw. I managed to cram in this mofo and party it up with my buddies. Woop woop!**

**Disclaimer: They are not mine. They were the brain fart of someone way more creative than me and who had oodles more time to kill.**

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Sarah drove through the bustling streets of Cork en route to her apartment building. The commute to the university was not a lengthy one, but lately she found herself nodding at the wheel, struggling to stay awake. However, this ride home was very different. Her seemingly unshakeable exhaustion of the last couple of weeks was now absent, leaving her wide-eyed and bouncing with anxiety. Sarah tried not to think about what she must look like to other drivers who glimpsed her hunched-over figure, gripping the steering column for dear life. She winced and thought about it anyway.

_Not a pretty picture._ Sarah turned her gaze to her left-side window and saw a man looking at her with a very confused expression. _I must look like I just escaped the looney bin, _she thought dryly. She began pretending to have a heated conversation with the seat next to her, knowing the man would see her yelling at the top of her lungs to an empty space. She didn't have time to see his reaction before his little car was speeding down the highway, putting as much distance between him and the insane woman. _Well,_ she thought lightly, _that was strangely refreshing._ Sarah smirked to herself and chuckled at her success.

Sarah realized with a start that she had not felt this carefree in decades. She turned on her left blinker and switched lanes with barely a glance. Her swift maneuver earned her an angry honk from the person she cut off. Sarah could not deny that her visit from the Goblin King affected her in some way, but she was reluctant to admit that he was what made her feel so lighthearted. The logical side of her brain told her she should be angry and resentful toward the Goblin King. After all, he was the one responsible for her lost mortality! All those years of running and hiding from her loved ones, of making friendships and breaking friendships, was all because of him! Sarah knew she should feel bitter… _but I just can't_. Whenever she felt herself becoming angry toward the Goblin King, something within her settled and she started to think about the good things.

Sarah just couldn't help it. It was childish to try and be angry when she knew she was not. Sure, she _was _angry. She didn't understand back then. _Well, I _still_ don't understand. Even now, I don't truly know the Goblin King's motives._ Her admissions about the Goblin King made her nervous, but the thought of being able to see Toby trumped every other emotion running through her body. _If I constantly pity myself, I'll just be that much slower in accomplishing my goals. So, no more wallowing. I am moving on… again._

Sarah arrived at the parking garage next door to the apartment complex. She grabbed her belongings from the back seat and left her locked-up vehicle in its designated place. The echo of her shoes against concrete reverberated throughout the near-empty garage as she made her way toward the elevator.

"HELLO, LADY SARAH!" Screamed a high-pitched voice, very close to Sarah's walking form and getting closer. She yelped and jumped and her hand flew to her chest after she realized who had screamed. She spun around and glared at the little goblin that was beaming back at her, his little legs pumping to catch up with her. Little arms waved frantically, as if she did not already see him approaching.

"Hello, Rumor," she smiled down at him. She waited patiently as he disappeared from her vision and reappeared on her shoulder. She could feel his tiny heart beating rapidly in his chest. "Why were you running, you crazy thing?" Sarah laughed at the goblin. "You usually just poof on to my shoulder in the elevator." Rumor's bizarre greeting confused her, but she kept smiling, despite his quirks.

"Yes, yes! But that was _before_ Rumor learned Lady Sarah has a ECHO CAVE!" he seemed very thrilled with the way his voice traveled through the garage. "I have been playing in here_ all day_!" his black eyes glittered with excitement.

Sarah listened to all the fun tricks Rumor played on the occupants of the parking garage all the way to the elevator, through the hallways, and to her apartment door. Rumor had just finished telling Sarah how the "big, black doughnuts" in the cave were not as tasty as the sugary pastries Sarah occasionally treats the goblins with, when she entered her apartment.

She closed her door, dropped her bags, and felt Rumor disappear from her shoulder. She walked through her narrow entrance hall and entered her living space. If it were not for the stifling silence that blanketed her apartment, she would have expected to see all of her goblins playing throughout the area, awaiting her return home. _Very weird_, she thought. _Maybe they are Underground?_ She went about searching for them.

Sarah paused at the mouth of her kitchen, listening intently for some sign of _any_ of her goblins. She heard Rumor rustling in the cabinets by her head and tried to drown out the noise. She kept her eyes open and focused. None of the shadows were rustling, there was no giggling. _I guess it's just me and Rumor then,_ she shrugged, and decided to trust her instincts by assuming they were with the Goblin King.

Sarah didn't know what to do with herself. She thought about cooking dinner, but she didn't feel hungry. Her stomach was already full of restless fluttering.

Rumor left the cabinet and took the results of his foraging with him to the couch in the living room. He was about to start munching when he caught Sarah's withering gaze. Rumor blanched. He swiftly picked up his snacks, brushed the couch clean of the invisible crumbs he spilled, and hurried to the dining room table.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Rumor forgot Lady Sarah said 'no eating on the furniture.'" When he saw that Sarah was not angry, he smiled and went about his snacking.

Sarah walked to her bedroom to change out of her work clothes. She substituted her dark green pencil skirt and crème colored blouse for yoga pants and an old, college sweatshirt. She piled her long, black locks in a bun atop her head and secured it all with a hair tie.

_So… what now?_

Sarah thought about packing her things for her visit to the Underground, but she didn't know what to pack. _I won't have anyone to dress up for, so I guess I can leave my work clothes. _She created a mental list of things to pack while rummaging in her closet for a suitcase. She heaved out the biggest one she could find and went about packing. She started humming to herself a sweet sounding melody that was stuck in her head. It wasn't long before she realized someone was harmonizing with her.

Sarah jumped and gasped when she saw the man in her room. "Jesus! Don't you people ever knock?" she screamed at the Fae. Her racing heart pounded in her chest. She struggled to catch her breath as she scowled at the laughing figure of the Goblin King.

"And ruin the element of surprise? Never!" he snorted a laugh. He sighed, signaling the end of his laughing bout, and waved his hands toward Sarah. "Don't mind me. I'm just here to watch. I can't _wait_ to see how you plan on taking all of _that_ to the Underground." The king fluttered his eyelashes at Sarah in mock-fascination.

Sarah growled, "Well, what do _you_ propose, _wise one_?" She huffed and threw her arms in the air out of frustration.

The Fae king conjured his riding crop and began tapping it against the side of his propped-up boot. Sarah scowled at his lounging form and felt very territorial toward her favorite arm chair. The king noticed her expression and snuggled deeper in to the plush seat, smirking the whole time. "Well, your luggage will surely be too heavy for you to carry by yourself and to arrive in the Goblin Kingdom— or any kingdom, really—carrying your own belongings is _extremely_ unsightly." He scoffed, "_I_ certainly will not carry it for you." The riding crop disappeared in a cloud of glitter and in its place was a crystal. "You may use this for all your packing needs."

"What is it?" Sarah examined the glassy orb. It looked like every other crystal, except… _maybe larger?_ Sarah examined it up close. No, it pretty much looked like every other crystal. _How boring._

"This is a transporting crystal of sorts." The Goblin King tapped a gloved finger against the glassy surface. "It will transport anything you throw at it, except living things, of course. That would be dangerous." The Fae king's eyes alighted with mischief.

"Where will it transport my things _to_?" Sarah was skeptical about using something the Goblin King gave her.

"All of your things will arrive safely in the rooms I have had prepared for you in my castle. No harm will befall a single item." The Goblin King nodded once and pushed the glassy orb closer to her, encouraging her to take it.

Sarah looked down at the crystal with a blank expression. She turned toward the Goblin King, "You know," she started, slowly; "I'm getting kind of tired of crystals." She left the statement hanging in the air.

The Goblin King quirked an eyebrow and held Sarah's steady gaze.

With a deadpan expression, the king took the glass orb in both hands and shook it up and down in front of his body, never breaking eye contact with the woman. He then returned the orb to his right hand and held it in front of Sarah's face. "Better?" He asked in a monotone voice.

Sarah looked in to the palm of his hand and laughed. The crystal was no longer a crystal. It was a snow globe.

* * *

Jareth took up his place in Sarah's arm chair as she fluttered about her home, sucking things in to the magic globe he gave her for packing. Apparently, watching things get morphed and transformed and crammed inside an impossibly small space was very entertaining for the young beauty. He was pleased that she was pleased. He smiled contently.

Jareth wondered to himself just how much trouble he was potentially causing himself by dragging Sarah to his castle. He knew Sarah would undoubtedly be safer within his kingdom than in her own home. That much was clearly evident. After Zander checked her apartment of Unseelie activity, Jareth was positive Sarah was in danger. However, now that he had sniffed the place out for himself, he could not be certain about… _Oh, never mind that now_, he thought haltingly. He did not want to get ahead of himself. _And yet… _Jareth also did not want to rule anything out too early in the game. Jareth decided he would inform Zander of his theories upon his return to the Underground.

The thought of his youngest brother brought back the memory of his last meeting with the younger king. It had happened right after he had convinced Sarah to return with him to the Underground, and right before he arrived in her apartment.

"_So… Sarah is really coming here?" Zander asked for the fifth time, still not believing his eldest brother's words. "Just like that. You convinced her to come. She agreed." Zander shook his head in utter disbelief. "And she didn't throw _anything_ at you?" _

_Jareth laughed smugly at his brother. "The only thing she threw was a fit. And not even _that_ much." He smiled at the memory and watched his brother take in all that he had told him. _

_The brothers continued their meandering together through passages of the Labyrinth. Zander insisted they traverse the portion with the leafy hedges. His explanation was simply that he wished to help the greenery be as beautiful and healthy as possible in lieu of the spring season. Jareth did not argue with his brother, and silently mused to himself that every other portion of the Labyrinth most likely terrified his little brother. He happily humored Zander as they walked and talked about a certain dark-haired beauty._

"_Well, Jareth. I've got to hand it to you," Zander sighed and then inhaled again to continue speaking. When no words came out, Jareth looked to his brother with a raised eyebrow, expectantly. Zander huffed out his lung-full of air and shook his head, "I just don't know what to say! I mean, your plan is working _so perfectly_! It's hard to believe it's true!" He laughed out loud and clapped his hands together. He stopped to examine a flower growing on the side of a hedge when he said: "Have you told mother and father about Sarah? Do they even remember her?" The flower seemed to sigh in to his touch; the colors deepened and grew in vibrancy._

"_I have not said anything about Sarah since the restraint was put on me. I guess they will find out when they see her." Jareth's eyes twinkled with mischief. Zander looked sick with nervousness._

"_Uh… so they don't know that your enchantment never wore off?" When Jareth did not deny anything, Zander realized the consequence. "Jareth, they will be expecting a _mortal!"

"_Actually, they will not be expecting anything." Jareth crossed his arms in front of his chest, unintentionally adopting an intimidating look. He used it to his advantage. "I do not want them to catch wind of Sarah coming to the Underground. Her arrival will be stressful enough." _

"_But you will tell them eventually, right? I mean, come on, Jareth! They _have_ to know!" Zander said intensely. _

_Jareth sighed. "Fear not, little king." He picked up the walking pace and left Zander scrambling to catch up. Jareth's long-legged strides left a significant distance between himself and his brother before Zander could register his abrupt motion. "Sarah will meet everyone in due time."_

Jareth shook the memory from his head. He immediately realized the apartment was absent of noise, but knew Sarah was still present. With the hope that Sarah finished her packing and was ready to depart, he rose from his reclining position and sought out his Lady.

* * *

When Sarah finished packing, she decided she would call Toby and inform him of her situation as best as she could. She did not want to tell him anything of Jareth or her magic lessons or the Underground, so she figured a vacation would be reason enough to lose contact for a while.

Sarah huddled on the couch, her favorite throw pillow snuggled firmly between her stomach and vice-like grip, as she dialed her little brother's cell number from her blackberry. The slow, digitalized ringing in her ear made the pounding of her heart seem all the more fast-paced.

Seven rings before a warbled voice on the other end answered, "Hello?"

Sarah's voice squeaked: "Hi, Toby. How are you?"

"Well, hello stranger! I'm good—great, actually. Just got out of a very promising meeting."

Sarah mentally kicked herself. She did the quick math in her head and realized it was still the middle of the work day for Toby. _Damn time difference._ "That's really great. Sorry if I'm interrupting something."

"No, no! Not at all. I'm just now getting something for lunch anyway. Tell me what's up, Sar!" He encouraged enthusiastically.

"Oh, nothing, really." _Liar._ "I just thought you'd be interested to know that I'm taking some time off before your wedding. A vacation, actually."

Sarah listened to the four-second long pause on the other line before she heard Toby's masculine laugh on the other end. "Sarah, that's fantastic! You're finally taking time off from work? Unbelievable!" He laughed again. She heard people mumbling in the background, probably wondering what Toby found so hysterical. "You had us all thinking you were working for a sweatshop. Christ, that's fantastic! Does this mean you'll be coming home early?"

Sarah cringed. She had hoped he wouldn't assume her vacation would mean a visit with her friends and family. "No—uh, I mean, I'll see everybody at the wedding, I guess." She coughed. "I'm just, you know, going to relax a little." She laughed lamely.

"Ok, well, that's great, too, I guess." He sounded a little less enthusiastic, but still very upbeat. "Going any place exciting?"

_Hm… I guess I should have thought out this lie a little before calling. _Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead. "Oh—well," she cleared her throat, "I wouldn't exactly call it excit—AHH!" Sarah jumped and nearly fell off the couch, _would_ have fallen off the couch if it were not for the very warm, very solid arms that had suddenly appeared around her slender waist. She almost dropped her blackberry in the process. Sarah glared at the man who was now snuggled in to her side, gazing adoringly up at her.

"Tell him you are staying with me at my home in the country." Jareth said smoothly, his breath blew in her face and left her head spinning. She unconsciously licked her dry lips and could taste his breath in her mouth. _Delicious_, she thought dazedly.

"Sarah? Sarah! Are you alright?" Toby's panicked voice came from the phone she had gripped in her hands. She immediately brought the phone back to her face—a little too fast—and smacked herself in the face with the little device. She hissed in pain, the impact earned her several beeping buttons and a chuckling Goblin King.

"Yes! Sorry, something scared me." She rubbed the side of her face with the hand that was simultaneously swatting away the unwanted embrace of the body next to hers. The Goblin King cooed in pity and tried to rub her injury with his gloved hand. Her face twitched in anger.

"Is someone there with you? It sounded like… a man?" Toby sounded amused. She scowled at the Goblin King and mouthed the words _go away_ before replying to her brother.

"Uh, yeah. It's just an old friend of mine. Anyway, what was I saying before?" She quickly changed the subject.

Toby laughed. "You were about to tell me where you're going for your _vacation_." He sang the last word.

"Oh—yes, that's right." She looked at the Goblin King. He was gesturing toward her cell phone with an expectant expression. "Well, I'm going to be staying with a friend of mine at his country home." She ended the statement more like a question.

"'_His_ country home?' So it's your boyfriend?"

_Boyfriend?_ She panicked. "Uh…"

"That's great, Sarah!" Toby exclaimed. Sarah tried to protest over him but he continued, "You'll have to bring him with you as your date to the wedding! I'll call Ginger and have her add him to the guest list or whatever."

"No, Toby! It's not like that! He's not my boyfriend!" She hissed the last word like it would burn her mouth. The Goblin King shook the couch with his laughter. She tried to hit him and make him be quieter, but he ignored her baby punches and enjoyed the one sided conversation.

"Then bring him anyway and put on a show for your friends and family! I'm actually really glad we're on the subject." _Uh oh,_ Sarah thought. "You see, Ma has been bugging me for updates on your love life. I really can't tell her anything because, well—let's face it. You're not exactly what anyone would consider to be _forthcoming_ with details, sis." He chuckled. "Just bring along your friend and get these annoying relatives off my back, ok? Trust me; it'd be _much_ easier if the prodigal daughter returned with some kind of arm candy."

"Arm candy? Really, Toby? I think the people would forgive me if I came stag." She rolled her eyes at the nosiness of her relatives. She noticed the Goblin King snuggling against her side again. His wide-eyed stare looked like it was pouting a little bit. _What about me?_—His eyes seemed to say. She tried to shove him off of her and grumbled at his solid weight. She stopped struggling and tried to ignore the way his warmth made her tingle in places she had no business tingling.

"Ok, Sar." Toby said slowly and dramatically, "It's your call. I'll tell Ginger anyway, should you change your mind."

"I won't. You might as well forget it, Toby." She said adamantly.

"Sure thing. Anything you say." He complied absently. She knew he wouldn't listen to her, but she felt she might as well try to convince him to comply. "Hey, listen. I'm about to head back in to the office, so I'll catch up with you later, alright? Give me a call if you have time on your vacation!"

She slapped her forehead, "Oh right! That's what I wanted to tell you! I won't be able to call you from where I'm going. No cell phone towers or internet or anything!" She silently cursed the Underground's lack of modern technology. "I called to let you know that it'll be a while before you hear from me, but I'm definitely going to be at the wedding."

"Wow. No service or anything? Sounds like a cave, sis." She rolled her eyes at his perceptiveness. She heard mumbling voices on the other end. Toby said something to the voices and then told her: "Just be safe, wherever you go. I guess I'll see you when I see you."

"Right. Love you, kid. Bye."

"Love you, too, Sarah. Good-bye!"

Sarah ended the call and dropped the phone in her lap, her hands moved to cover her face. She rubbed her eyes before peeking through the cracks her fingers made and looked at the form on the other end of the couch.

The Goblin King sat in complete ease on her furniture, lounging in a careless way while still retaining the utmost poise. Looking at his body stirred something in the pit of her stomach, something not at all unpleasant. She could not stop the path her eyes took about his frame, absorbing every detail she could before finally giving in to the intense gaze she knew she would find on his immaculate face. His long, lean limbs were slung haphazardly about; his right arm propped up his head of silver-gold locks. His angular chin, his smirking lips, his high cheekbones, and finally his eyes. His mismatched eyes, framed by their intricate shading and swooping eyebrows looked at Sarah with what she could only describe as lust. His eyes darkened infinitesimally.

Sarah gulped. _Ok, fun time is over._

"I finished packing before I called Toby, so…" She trailed off. The Goblin King nodded once, apparently taking the hint.

"Then there is no point in delaying our departure any longer." He said. His eyes cut back to Sarah and his gaze lowered to her lips. "Unless, of course…" He trailed off, leaning toward her face, his destination clear.

Her hand halted his progress with a resounding _smack_ in the face. "Not on your life, sport." She deadpanned.

His words were muffled by her dainty hand. "Sarah, you _wound_ my _ego_."

She stood from the couch and made her way toward the snow globe on the coffee table. "I'll wound _both_ your egos if you try that stunt again, Goblin King."

"Hm… message received." He smirked at her threat. He stood alongside her petite frame. "But please, call me Jareth. I do think we are passed such formalities."

"Fine. Jareth. 'Goblin King' was becoming a mouthful anyway." She reasoned truthfully.

The Fae king smiled brightly and said: "My dear, I will _always_ be a mouthful." He kissed the tip of her nose, flicked his wrist, and dropped the glowing sphere as quickly as it appeared. They disappeared from the mortal realm in a flash, the falling cloud of dark glitter the only sign of their former presence.

* * *

Sarah and Jareth appeared in Goblin Kingdom in much the same fashion as their disappearance from the mortal planes: lots of glitter. Sarah wondered in her disoriented state if the man was capable of going anywhere without it.

She wobbled and struggled to keep her balance, her second trip to the Underground proved to be a little more difficult than her first. She steadied herself against what felt like a stone wall. She breathed in slowly through her nose, the spinning feeling suddenly passing, and she took in her surroundings for the first time.

Sarah looked about the vast room with amazement. The circular chamber had high-arching ceilings and stone walls. Flags and tapestries decorated the walls where torches did not take up space. The large, rectangle-shaped windows on one side of the room overlooked the Labyrinth and all it's glory. Sarah noticed she could not feel a breeze through the huge windows. She moved the hand that was touching the stone wall and tried to reach out the window, but was stopped by an invisible force. It hummed at her touch. _Amazing, _she thought._ No glass. It's practical, I suppose, _she mused._ You don't need to wipe smudgy hand prints off of _magic_._

She continued her gaze about the splendorous room. She noticed the floor had a circular pit-looking space. Four sets of two stone steps, arranged at equidistant points around the pit, led down to the bottom of the pit from the higher level. Directly across from her place at the windows, across the large circle cut in the flagstone floor, was Jareth, sitting in what appeared to be a throne.

"I know you must be tired and hungry. I have arranged for some dinner to be waiting for you in your rooms so that you may eat before retiring." He slung his right leg off the arm of the throne and stood with his fists on his hips. "Shall we go?"

Sarah nodded. She realized she was incredibly exhausted, but still so full of energy. She decided a full nights rest would be the best thing for her. She would need it to face the day of hard work she knew would come in the morning.

Sarah blinked and found herself and Jareth standing in a wide hallway. The walls and floor were still made of stone, only a deep blue rug ran the entire length of the impossibly long passageway, and didn't seem to stop as her eyes trailed its path around the corner. She heard a latch click and turned to see that she was alone in the hallway. She looked about her before finally stepping in to the room before her.

Sarah gasped in the dimly lit room. She stood in what appeared to be an antechamber. The blazing fire on the wall to her right provided the means by which she could see her surroundings—there were no windows she noted. The room was decorated in beautiful forest greens and deep mahogany woods. The ground she stood on was covered in an intricately patterned rug of gold and green and creamy white. She looked at the sitting area of couches and chairs and a little table between them all, upon which sat a platter of delicious looking foods. She looked for any sign of a bedroom or bathroom and saw a wide stone archway which she assumed led to the bedchamber.

"Do you like it?" whispered a silky voice in her ear.

"Yes," she whispered back. "It's all so beautiful. I like it _very _much." She could not bring herself to speak any louder for fear of disturbing the beauty of the magical living space.

"Excellent. I knew you would." She could hear the smile in Jareth's voice. She turned to give him one in return and saw him looking at her with a warm expression. "I want you to be comfortable here. I know it is not ideal…" he trailed off. She wanted to object, but realized he spoke the truth. _Although,_ she conceded, _this room is enough to change my mind._

"It's perfect," Sarah said. "Thank you."

"Anything for you my Lady," he bowed slightly at the waist and turned to leave. "Sleep well; we have a big day tomorrow. Someone will come and help you dress in the morning and lead you down to breakfast." He brought his fingers to his lips and blew gently. A bubble formed from his gloved hand and floated toward Sarah's still figure. "Goodnight," Jareth whispered and was gone.

"Goodnight," Sarah said to the empty space. She had a feeling he would be able to hear her. The bubble continued its lazy trail from her doorway toward her face. It gently alighted itself upon her closed mouth and popped. The feeling it left behind on her rosy lips felt very much like the whisper of a kiss.

* * *

**I don't know that I like how this chappie turned out. I might go back and change some things if it bugs me enough. As always, I would love to know what you all think of it! I'm addicted to your opinions :3 **

**Reviews are like bubble-kisses from Jareth!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Woohoo! Another little update! I really struggled with this one. This chapter is actually a draft I wrote two weeks ago, trashed, and forgot about. I ended up coming back to it when I found it on my computer and decided to keep. It just had a certain lil sumpin. I had to post it :3**

**BTDubs, everybody who reviewed, I _adore_ you. I love love love every single review! I laughed (really), I cried (not really)... your reviews _moved_ me! You guys are amazing. Have I mentioned that I adore you?**

**So, this prodigal chapter is dedicated to all you loovie doovies who reviewed last couple of chapters on this Independence Day weekend! It's the best I can do to show my appreciation :) Y'all are cutesie.**

**Disclaimerz: I do not own. Some of these characters are mine, but the cool ones are not. Figure that mess out.  
**

* * *

The slender body rustled and rolled beneath the numerous blankets in the king-sized bed, signaling the end of a rejuvenating nights rest. Sarah rolled the edge of the downy blanket off of her face, sad that the fragrant linen was away from her nose, and opened her eyes to a sunshine-filled room. She sighed happily before pulling the blankets back over her head and rolling over on to her side with the hope that a few more blissful moments of sleep would come to her.

Sarah jerked into a sitting position, the blankets and pillows all about her rumpled, dumb-struck figure flew off of her. She launched out of bed and began looking for her alarm clock, positive that she had overslept.

"Oh shit!"

Sarah unleashed herself about the room in frenzied hurry. _Where is my watch? My phone? Why didn't my alarm clock wake me up? I thought I set the alarm. I ALWAYS set the alarm! Where is my tote bag, my music, my pa_—she stopped scouring the room for her belongings when she realized: _Oh yeah. It's Saturday. No classes._

Sarah sighed. She could not remember the last time she woke up on a Saturday in weekday mode. _Some time in grade school, perhaps?_ Oh well. She could not bring herself to care. Instead, Sarah succumbed to the cloud of sleepiness that fogged her mind crawled back under the impossibly soft blankets of her best friend/bed. _So comfy. Since when has my bed been_ so comfy_?_ She yawned.

Sarah was swiftly lulling herself back to sleep with thoughts of potential names for her bed/best friend when the distant sound of a rapping on a door alerted her senses.

The woman pulled a feather pillow over her head and willed the postman to come another time. _They'll just leave a note if they think I'm not home, anyway._ The thought was a familiar one when it came to Sarah's lazy Saturdays of ignoring the mail carriers and other nusiances, but it nagged in the back of her head as if it didn't belong. The rapping on the door—and the nagging feeling—stopped, and Sarah sighed with relief.

Her ears perked up again. Someone was _opening_ the door now. Sarah's once relaxed body tensed; every muscle in her body alert. _How did they get in?_ She was up to her eyeballs with people who thought they could barge in on her privacy. Ready to fight, Sarah lifted the pillow from her face and rolled to her right to exit her bed, but stopped at the two, beady eyes that scowled at her a foot from her face.

"AHH!" Sarah jumped back a little from the goblin by her bedside. And then she realized it was not one of_ her_ goblins… and _then_ she realized it was not _her_ bedside. The previous night's events came washing up the shores of her memory and she remembered she was not in her room back home. Sarah felt her face move from anger to confusion and finally embarrassment when she noticed she was wearing nothing but her underwear. She pulled the blankets up under her chin and opened her mouth to address the stranger right as the goblin began talking to her. Barely a second passed since she screamed.

"Yeah, yeah. Scream all ya wants." The goblin rolled it's eyes before walking about to the foot of the bed. Sarah noticed the goblin was wearing a long shirt type thing. Almost like a dress, but too ragged, and an apron about where the waist of the creature would be. "That's one fine way ta be treatin' yer hand maid, fer certain!"

"Oh." Sarah perked up. _It's a girl goblin! _It didn't make sense to her to feel excitement over meeting a female goblin, but she couldn't ignore the novelty. She finally registered what the maid had said to her and she scrambled to apologize. "I'm sorry! You just frightened me, that's all. I'm still very tired and you caught me when I had just woken and—"

"Hah hah hah! Dawh, don't ya worry one bit, dear sweet! I was just messin' witcha!" She dusted her hands against each other, shooed Sarah from her spot between the sheets, and went about fixing the blankets on Sarah's bed. Sarah marveled at the precision with which the creature worked for a stature that barely saw over the edge of the bed. She imagined it would be like watching a small three-year-old make a full-sized bed.

A chill ran up her bare spine and she went looking for a bathroom to wash in. Sarah ignored the doorway she knew to lead back into the main room and turned to the only other door possible. When she looked inside the room she found… nothing. The room was empty. The blindingly bright walls were of the starkest white and apparently seamless. Looking around from ceiling to floor, Sarah could not find any sign of where a wall ended or began. The space before her looked like a bare, void. She was afraid to even cross the threshold.

"Cozy, isn't it?" The gravelly voice at her knees inquired.

"Right," Sarah said slowly. "I was looking for a bathroom, but _this_ will do just _splendidly_."

The goblin snorted a chuckle. "Yeh, you're just takin' this place fer granted. This room is exactly what you'll be needin'." The goblin started waddling away from Sarah, still tidying the immaculate space. She looked up at Sarah's still form and scowled. "Yer wastin' time, girl! Go on, now! I'll be waitin' fer ya with some fresh clothes when yer done, now git ta work!" She walked back to Sarah and pushed her long legs in to motion.

Sarah rigidly protested the surprisingly strong goblin as she was shoved in to the bleak void. Her heart dropped the millisecond before her feet touched solid, white ground. She was relieved she didn't fall into some great abyss. _That would have sucked,_ she thought dryly. Sarah looked behind her and saw that her bedroom was still within view, so was the she-goblin who insisted she utilize this bizarre room.

"What do you mean get to work?" She shouted back through the doorway to her bed chamber. "There is nothing in here!" She gestured with both her arms in a dramatic wave to the space behind her. "Please, tell me where the bathroom is."

The goblin rolled her eyes to the sky and continued sweeping the pristine floor. _Where the hell did the broom come from? _"I already told ya! The room is exactly what ya need!"

"I don't _need_ a riddle, I _need_ a _bathroom_!" She said exasperatedly. She stamped her foot once and the sound echoed like thunder in the blank room. Sarah turned around to face the useless room and found herself in a bathing utopia.

Where once seamless walls of blank, white, nothing stood were now sharply cut walls of the most beautiful black marble Sarah had ever seen. She looked down and felt the very same cool stone that adorned the walls to be on the ground. She looked up and found a glittering, dome-shaped, glass ceiling of the most breathtaking colors. It seemed to shine and provide light to the dark room without any encouragement.

When Sarah picked her chin up off of the ground, it plummeted again when she saw the large, underground bathtub in the middle of the room. Well, she assumed it was a bathtub. Sarah looked around the room to find any other signs that the rectangular hole in the ground was not out of place. She saw a vanity mirror and a dressing table made out of the beautiful onyx marble. Across the room was a floor to ceiling wall that created an alcove in the back of the spacious room, around which sat a toilet, sink and mirror. After using the new-found facilities, she returned to the main portion of the room, completely miffed at the amazing sight.

She moved her gaze to the motion at the doorway to the mega bathroom. The goblin stood there tapping her bare foot in agitation. "Yer gonna be late to breakfast, missy! And I ain't takin' the blame fer nobody!" The goblin walked over to the edge of the bathtub and waved her hand over the empty drop. The tub began filling with water from no visible source. Sarah noted pleasantly the steam coming from the magic water.

When the goblin turned to leave the room Sarah jumped in her way and halted her exit. "Whoa now! Wait just a minute." She pointed to the tub. "That! That—what you just did—is something I need to know how to do."

Sarah felt that the expression on the goblin's face said something along the lines of _"are you for real?"_

The goblin's eyes seemed to become different sizes as her raised eyebrow made the opposite eyebrow slouch. The scowling look combined with the gnarled under bite... Sarah shuddered.

The maid walked over to the tub and waved a withered hand over the water. The filling sound ceased and the water level stopped its ascent. "Off." The creature said in a sarcastically helpful tone. This time, Sarah was expecting the result when the maid waved her hand over the tub in the same motion. "On," she said in the same sugary tone. She dusted her hands and fisted them on her hips. "This here is an enchanted pool, see?" As she made her way from the bathing chamber, she called over her shoulder: "This room is _exactly_ _what_ ya _need_!" Her fist was thrown in the air with every emphasis.

Sarah stood alone in the room. She immediately stripped down and dipped her foot in the warm water. The warmth sent chills up her body and gave her goose bumps across her flesh. She quickly immersed her whole body in the water after finding steps into the pool of water.

Sarah dunked her whole head under the water and came back up with suds in her hair. She looked around the edge of the tub for some sign that a soap bottle tipped over or something. Sarah saw nothing of the sort and moved to remove the soapy bubbles from her hair. _Oh wait. This tub Is enchanted, s_he reminded herself and began scrubbing the bubbles deeper into her hair, lathering all over her head. When she dunked her head back underneath the water, she returned to the surface without a single bubble in her hair. Neither was there any lingering suds floating on the surface of the water. She did, however, notice bubbles on her arms. When she raised her left foot from the water, she saw similar bubbles on it as well. _Ok, this is pretty cool._ Sarah thought she could get used to this enchanted pool as she began lathering her body with the soap provided to her.

* * *

Sarah stood outside the entrance to her bed chambers, dressed in casual attire—dark wash jeans and a royal purple cardigan over a white, v-neck shirt. She would have put more effort into her outfit choice if it had not been for the… the… _thing_ that was cleaning her room. She was sad that the goblin-shaped torture device turned her wonderfully perfect bedchamber into a dark, depressing space just by being in the vicinity.

Sarah shook off the horrible thought and focused on the task at hand. _Ok, so the monster maid said to meet Jareth for breakfast_. She nodded to herself her easy instructions and looked down the long corridor in one direction… and then in the _other_ direction… and could not decide which way to go. _They both look exactly the same!_ The hallway that led one way seemed to be a mirror image of the opposite direction, with Sarah's room being the midpoint.

Sarah convinced herself that the path to the right was the shorter walk, and so headed to the end of the hallway and around the corner until she lost sight of her rooms. Sarah walked down hallways, stopped to jiggle random doorknobs, and even paused to admire the occasional piece of artwork.

After about ten minutes—just long enough for Sarah's tummy to begin growling in an obscene way— of getting thoroughly lost, she decided she would try one more hallway before screaming her head off for someone to help her. Sarah was frustrated with herself, and frustrated with the maid for not being more helpful with where she was meant to be for breakfast.

_Well, I may be lost now, but at least I'm familiarizing myself with the castle_. Sarah was certain her thought could only sound more stupid if she said it out loud. Wandering around from one hallway to the next identical hallway was not the most expedient way of learning how to navigate a very large castle. _I should have stayed in bed, dammit._

Sarah stopped her internal scolding when she came across a new sight. _This is interesting._ Sarah faced a 'fork in the road' type intersection. She turned around to look at the way she just came and then debated which way she should take: the path to the left or right. She searched her pockets for some sort of object, anything, and came up with a piece of lint. _That'll work._ She placed the small wad of lint on the ground, directly in front of the hallway she had just come from, and moved to stand in the center of the intersection.

Sarah closed her eyes and started spinning. She went around and around, lost track of the number of rotations, and stopped. She faced a hallway without lint in its path. After locating the path _with_ the marker, she then started down the path that would have been to the right. She looked back at the intersection once before turning back to face the hallway in front of her.

After walking for a fair distance, Sarah decided she had not come down this hallway when she came across a large, double door. The entrance was made of a brightly colored wood, and intricately carved. Sarah would have marveled longer at the details if it weren't for her curiosity toward what lay behind the doors. She expected the door to be locked, _like all the other doors in this place._ She was surprised when it opened. _Good thing, too._ She looked around. It was a dead end.

Sarah pushed the door open. The light, friendly color of the wood juxtaposed the deep, ominous creaking sound the old hinges made as Sarah slowly pushed the heavy door forward. Sarah could only manage to push the door open wide enough to shimmy her body through the gap before the door started closing again. She gulped before running through the small space. The door immediately slammed closed behind her. Sarah's jaw dropped.

Sarah stood in a large room—one she would later note to be longer than it was wide—that was brightly lit with big, open windows, and very clean. The only other visible occupant in the room was staring out the window, away from Sarah. He must have felt Sarah's stare, because he turned to look at her soon after she noticed him. For a split second, Sarah thought she saw surprise in his eyes. Whatever emotion it was, it was immediately replaced with a smirk.

"Well, it's about time you showed up." Jareth said as he made his way toward Sarah's immobile figure. She then noticed the huge dining table between them. "I was starting to wonder whether or not you were accustomed to eating breakfast in the morning. Don't tell me you got_ lost_." His eyes twinkled with mirth. Sarah's breath caught in her throat at his beauty. _Oh, wait. He's expecting an answer._

"Um… yes, well," She cleared her throat. "I did get a little lost."_ What the hell, get a grip!_ "That goblin that was in my room this morning… She wasn't the most _forthcoming_ with details. Directions of _any_ kind would have been helpful." Her tone grew increasingly frustrated at the mention of her hand maid.

He laughed heartily, the corners of his eyes crinkled in joy. "She must have been very put out with you. Did she tell you to go left? If you're walking, you can only get here from your room if you take the very first left. It is a direct route. A very short walk indeed." He fisted his hands on his slender hips and began walking toward Sarah.

"'Take the first left…'" she mumbled in thought. "No, I got here and I didn't take the first left." She realized her stalking and wandering could have been reduced to 'a very short walk' if she had just gone left.

"That's impossible." Jareth stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm here, am I not?" She sputtered. "In fact, it was some weird, three-way intersection that led me here." She stuck her nose in the air as she said: "And I _didn't_ go _left_." She crossed her arms in challenge.

"Sarah…" Jareth said slowly. His confused tone alerted her, yet his face revealed nothing. "There are no 'three-way intersections' in my castle."

"What are you talking about? Of course there are! I went down the path to the right and entered through _those_ doors!" She turned around to point at the brightly colored doors that were behind her. She gasped. The doors were not there.

Sarah spun around, looking for the intricately carved doors. However, the only thing behind her was a wall with a painting, underneath which sat a table and plush chair. She was nowhere near the entrance to the room, where ever it was.

"What the _hell_? I was just—you_ saw_ me come in! It was _there_, and I—"

"Shh! Calm down, my dear." Jareth soothed in a controlled voice. He gripped her shoulders and spoke in a calming tone. "I'm sure you're right. Do not let this upset you. Stranger things have happened to you." He joked and winked. Sarah forgot what she was so worried about. _He's right._ _It's just a door._

He waved his arms and the room was suddenly full of goblins, all of which were carrying various trays of food and drinks. They were screaming and shouting and running amok, but they moved about with practiced ease as they set up a splendid array of breakfast foods. Never crashing in to one another, and never spilling an ounce. The scene was both chaotic and organized in the extreme.

Sarah could not keep the laughter down at the wonderful sight in front of her. Some goblins looked up at her, nudged the goblin next to them, and openly smiled toward her.

Jareth smiled warmly at her expression and moved his hand to the small of her back. "Are you hungry?"

* * *

After all the goblins left to do... what goblins do, Sarah and Jareth ate in awkward silence. Well, awkward for Sarah. Jareth seemed completely at ease. She managed to eat her breakfast with elegance, but she could not rival Jareth's natural grace and confidence. She felt almost childish in comparison.

However, their contrasting mannerisms were not the only problem. Sarah wanted desperately to fill the silence, but she did not want to make an attempt at small talk. And she most certainly did _not _want to seem like she was _interested_ in talking to him. So her only other options were to sit and be silent and wait for the meal to be over.

Silence.

Silverware clinked against silverware.

Sarah fidgeted.

More silence.

"Sarah," Jareth said after wiping his mouth. _Gracefully_, Sarah noticed. "Do you have something you would like to say?" His voice was light with humor.

Sarah felt her face color with embarrassment. She didn't know what to say. Then an idea formed in her pretty head. _Hmph, put me on the spot, huh? Alright then…_

"Yes, actually, I do. Rather, something to ask." She looked at him squarely and saw the blatant interest in his expression for what she had to say next. "Why did you wait so long to contact me if our business together is so urgent?"

His brow furrowed. She smirked in triumph. _No escaping me now, Goblin King._

"I'm assuming you are referring to the twenty-five year absence and not the two weeks after meeting Zander." When she did not deny, he continued. "To put it simply, I could not leave the Underground."

"Why not?"

"I could not leave because a magic restraint was put in affect. No creature, Fae or otherwise, could traverse between the Realms." He rubbed the back of his neck. "That was my fault, I suppose."

Sarah was confused. "I don't understand. The restraint… it was an accident? When did it happen?"

Jareth stroked his chin with a gloved hand. "It was not an _accident, _per se, but neither was it _ideal_. The restraint was placed on me, and consequently all of the Underground, very soon after I enchanted you. After you… defeated the Labyrinth."

"Not ideal? What are you talking about? Can you stop talking in circles, please?" Sarah could feel a headache coming on.

Jareth appeared to be deliberating something with himself. He finally shook his head and chuckled softly. He sighed. "My apologies." He propped up his head on a fist and leaned back in his chair, apparently getting comfy. "Let me start at the beginning. And please, do not interrupt." Sarah rolled her eyes and silently willed him to get on with it.

"Enchanting mortals with Fae immortality is considered a heinous crime in the Underground if it is done so without the consent of the affected mortal—"

"I don't remember saying 'pretty please,' asshole." Sarah said bitterly.

"—and the permission of the High King and Queen." He continued as if she had not spoken. "It just is not done. Firstly, because it goes against all that is Fae, and secondly, because nobody has ever succeeded. As far as I know, I am the only Fae who successfully enchanted a mortal with Fae life." He smiled smugly to himself.

"Congratulations," she inserted sarcastically. "Pats on the back all around."

"Being the powerful political figure that I am, the Fae council struggled with a way to punish me for my crime. They could not kill me. And having the solid argument that I did, they could not disprove my reasoning for enchanting you."

"What reason was that?" She practically screamed.

Jareth ignored her question. "The best they could do was put a restraint on my magic, keep the Realms separated, and hope that twenty-five years without any magic to fuel the enchantment would make it wear off. Then it would have been as if you were never enchanted, my crime never happened, and life would continue for both Realms."

"Obviously their plan was fool-proof." She muttered to herself.

"So, it was never my choice to be away for so long. I acted impulsively and had to pay the price." A slow smile crept up his features. "But the end result was worth it."

"So what kept the enchantment from wearing off?"

"The goblins." He said simply. "They provided magical exposure for you, albeit, in small amounts; although, they were never detected. It all worked out."

She shook her head. Her arms crossed and she slumped in her chair. "I still don't understand. Why did you have to enchant me in the first place?" Sarah's voice was dripping with resentment. Her cold tone shocked even her.

Jareth flicked his wrist and a crystal appeared. He twirled it in his fingers and replied in a playful tone. "Yes, yes. What _are_ my motives, hm? What could compel me to expend my time and power to a cause such as _you_. What have you ever done for _me_?" He smiled a Cheshire grin.

Sarah groaned in frustration. "Oh please, don't treat me like some charity. You didn't do me any favors!"

"Oh, I didn't?" He looked shocked. Sarah rolled her eyes. "Sarah, what happened to you would have happened no matter what. Forgive my cliché when I say: _it was fate that led us together_." He said in a dreamy voice and fluttered his eyelashes.

Sarah blinked. Realization slowly sunk in. She moved to stand. "I don't think so, buddy." She pointed to herself. "The only reason _I'm_ here is to learn how to control this magic crap and get the hell outta here. So _you_"—she pointed to Jareth— "can keep whatever _hidden agenda_ you have going on for you locked away." She saw Jareth about to protest and cut him off. "And don't try to play coy with me! If you want to give me half answers and be all evasive, _fine_. But I'm here for business. And that's all."

Jareth closed his mouth. He seemed amused with Sarah's sudden outburst of accusations. He swiveled his wrist and the crystal disappeared. "You are quite right. I really should not try to distract you from your goals." His sincere tone surprised Sarah. He stood, adjusted his sleeves, and looked about the room in thought. "In fact, we are wasting time just sitting here!" He smiled in excitement. Jareth waved his arm and the breakfast foods disappeared.

A booming sound echoed through the large room. Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin and spun around to find the source of the alarming sound.

"WAIT!" Screamed King Zander. He stood at the entrance to the room, both doors thrown open, and his arms flung out as if to stop the madness. He was panting and flushed from some unknown exertion.

_What the hell?_

Jareth was the first to address the intruder. "Zander. Good morning." He seemed completely at ease with his brother's unusual behavior. "Sarah and I just finished eating our breakfast."

Zander looked up, his face stricken with horror. "W-what? 'Just finished…'" He sputtered, still out of breath. He approached Jareth and Sarah's side of the table and looked about in devastation. "What? Noooo!" He whined loudly.

Sarah could not believe what she was seeing. _What the hell is going on?_

"Well, that's just great! I hurried over here just to be _too late_?" He flopped down in a dining chair and crossed his arms. "The things I go through to get a good meal," he muttered to himself.

Sarah was shocked. "You mean they don't _feed_ you in your kingdom?" She couldn't believe what the young king was implying.

Jareth scoffed. "Do not be absurd." He laughed. He waved his hands and all the food was back on the table. Zander cooed appreciately and dug in, _with poise_, Sarah noted begrudgingly. "I'm certain he did something idiotic. Zander has a habit of invoking Corinthia's wrath—today's punishment is apparently no breakfast— and running to me with his tail between his legs." Jareth gestured toward the eating king and laughed. Zander glared. "Trouble in paradise, little brother?"

Zander sniffed in indignation. "I'm not going to dignify that question with an answer." He wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair. "What about you two?" He nodded toward the couple. "I could hear your arguing from the entrance to the bloody castle!" He paused and stroked his chin in thought. "Now that I think about it, it sounded fairly one-sided…"

Sarah colored bright red, knowing full well the arguing he heard was most likely her. "That's because Jareth is an ass and won't answer my very _reasonable_ questions!" She crossed her arms and glared at the tall, silver-blond king next to her.

Zander smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Oooh, touchy." He laughed and clapped his hands together in delight. "Trouble in paradise, Jareth?" He asked sweetly.

Jareth frowned and glared at his brother. He snapped his fingers and all the food was gone. Zander whined in utter protest. Sarah giggled.

"It was delightful to see you so early in the morning, my dear brother," Jareth rolled his eyes heavenward. "Sarah and I must be off now to her magic lessons. Time is short." Sarah blanched at his choice of words.

Zander's eyes twinkled with humor and grew with shock at nearly the same time. "Wait! You can't just yet!" He shot out of his seat and quickly approached the standing couple. "Has she been to see… well, _you_ know?" He nodded his head in the direction of the windows and looked at Jareth expectantly.

Jareth's brow furrowed in confusion. His face suddenly lit up with realization. "Ah." He said simply. "You are quite right. I completely forgot." His expression seemed to be a little worried, but when he caught Sarah's eyes on him, his expression moved from concern to amusement. "Sarah, we have a number of things to do today, and you may choose in what order we do them."

Sarah was confused. "Ok," She said slowly. "Continue."

"We need to begin your magic lessons as soon as possible," He shuffled his stance so he was facing her head-on, "but it is necessary for you to make a small appearance before the High King and Queen."

"Mom and Dad," Zander inserted helpfully. Jareth shot him a look. Zander's smile deflated.

"So what will it be? Magic lessons first, or meeting the King and Queen."

Sarah looked between the two brothers. "W-well," she cleared her throat, "do I have to meet them today? I mean, it's so early and I'm really not prepared." He played with her fingers nervously. "I'd rather not meet them at all. I don't see how it's necessary, to be honest. It's not like I'm moving in."

Zander let out a guffaw and Jareth silenced his burst of laughter with a withering glare.

"I understand, my dear. I would not bring it up with it were not necessary." Jareth said gently. "It will not be as bad as you may think. If I'm to be spending all my time helping you with magic, they may need to know where all of my time is going. That... and it's just a courtesy call. It lowers any suspicion they may have on your presence in the Underground if we come to them about it first." He smiled.

Sarah gulped. "Whoa whoa whoa. Am I in _danger_ by being here? Was I supposed to get some kind of faery green card or something?"

"What? No!" Jareth shook his head vehemently. "No danger. You are Fae, after all. In a way, you belong here."

Sarah grumbled, but accepted his denial of imminent death. "Ok, so we meet your parents and say… what? 'Hi, this is Sarah. I'm teaching her magic. Hold my calls.'" Her pretend conversation ended in a question.

Jareth rubbed his face in exasperation. "Ok, so it does not make sense to you, but it is necessary. Trust me."

Zander spoke up, apparently still in the room. He had made himself comfortable again in one of the dining chairs. "Really, my Lady, think of what could happen if you _don't_ meet Mom and Dad. If Jareth makes it look like he's been hiding you, things could get ugly for _everyone_." He shuddered and shook his golden blond head of hair in horror.

"Oh. Ok." Sarah accepted his explanation. "See? Why couldn't you have said that before?"

Jareth turned to Zander and glared. Zander pumped both fists in the air as if to say: _Zander-one, Jareth-zero! _

"Wonderful. Magic lessons first or meeting the King and Queen?"

"Um… magic lessons first." Sarah said quickly.

"Well, why not meet Mom and Dad first? Otherwise, you'll be nervous about it all day! Better to get it out of the way quickly and not let it mar your magic lessons." Zander added helpfully. This time, he ignored Jareth's warning glare completely. _Ha ha, not so scary now, huh, Goblin King? _Sarah thought haughtily.

"Very true." Sarah said honestly. _I'm starting to like this odd fellow._ She smiled at Zander approvingly before she turned to Jareth and said: "Alright. Let's meet the King and Queen now."

"Woohoo!" Zander hooted happily. He started dancing victoriously in his seat.

Jareth watched his brother stoically. He suddenly smiled with pure happiness and his sudden change in attitude frightened Zander. He stopped mid-jig.

Jareth raised a gloved hand to his ear. "What's that I hear?" Jareth said sweetly. "Why, it sounds like Corinthia is _calling_ for you, Zander!" Zander paled. Jareth continued. "It sounds like your sweet wife is looking for the one responsible for setting her _entire_ wardrobe of _priceless gowns_ up in flames, and for _some_ _reason_ she suspects _you."_ Jareth shrugged his shoulders as if it were all a grand mystery.

Horror dawned on Zander's face. He jumped out of his seat and gripped his hair with both hands in terror. "GAHH! JARETH! WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Jareth waved goodbye. "Better go find out what she wants. She sounds positively_ tempestuous_."

Zander was moving frantically about in fear in a futile attempt at escaping Jareth's magic. Even as he poofed out of sight in a cloud of glitter, he was begging for mercy.

Jareth sighed in relief.

"That wasn't very nice, you know. What if she kills him?" Sarah inquired calmly.

Jareth had the good grace to look concerned for his brother's well being, however false the expression might have been. "Do not worry yourself too much, my darling. Zander will be back for breakfast soon enough." He looked out the windows. "If we leave now, we may be able to meet the King and Queen before they enter their own breakfast. Shall we?" He moved a waiting elbow toward her.

Sarah took the proffered arm gingerly. The warmth of his body made her fingers tingle and caused goose bumps to appear on her arms. "Ok, let's go." And they disappeared from sight in a cloud of glitter.

* * *

**Thoughts, anyone? Was this chapter too fast, too slow? I can't decide, honestly. But next chapter is going to get crazy! Meeting the parents AND magic lessons? Whew. Fan the flames.  
**

**Again, you guys are awesome! Happy Independence Day!  
**

**Jeni27::CaseClosed621::VampChick76::notwritten::SpaceHead3::find your North Star::NarutoCrazy001::MarnieGray::Nanenna::loral::LyssaOneiroi::Trelweny Rosephoenixwolf::Chooser of the Slain::Yrdenal::xSonnis::AmuRosecross::blizz**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hooray for quick updates! I was so eager to get this chapter out to you guys. I really hope you like it. If you don't, please lie to me. Just this once. Lie for all your worth. 0_0**

**Thanks to all the cuties who reviewed! In your honor, I baked several batches of homemade cinnamon rolls. Also in your honor, I devoured every last one. Yay for fast metabolisms! XD  
**

***Ahem* **

**Anyway. I found a picture that kind of resembles the image I had of Sarah's bed/best friend. I put it on my profile, so feel free to go have a lookski. Just imagine it with more intricate designs, obscenely large, and suuuuper comfy :3**

**So here we go! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sarah or Jareth. If I did, I would guilty of human trafficking.** **And that is a no-no.**

* * *

Sarah and Jareth appeared in a luscious garden moments after leaving the dining room in the castle. Sarah looked about in amazement. The garden was _full_ of flowers and plants that she had never seen before in her whole life. Some flowers were of such unique colors; Sarah did not think them to be at all possible.

"It's incredible!" She said in awe. _This is_ way _better than the Goblin City_, she thought with disdain.

"Well, if you like it so much _here_, then perhaps you should stay." Jareth said in good-humor. Sarah blushed from her hairline to her toes, mortified that she had spoken her thoughts out loud. _Do I do that often? _

Jareth laughed at her expression and continued. "Good luck convincing someone to teach you. Now _that's_ a conversation I would be _most_ interested in hearing." He chuckled at the vision he created in his mind.

Sarah glared. "Well any teacher would be better than _you_, you buffoon." She _harrumphed _and stomped in the opposite direction of the king. She didn't get far before she felt his gloved hand wrap around her arm right about her elbow. Even through the long sleeves of her cardigan, she could feel the warmth of his touch. She shivered against her will.

"Walk too far and you might run in to the King and Queen." He warned seriously.

Sarah looked at him confusedly. "Umm… Isn't that what we are here for? To _see_ them?"

Jareth rolled his eyes. "Of course we are." He let go of Sarah's arm easily when she shook him off. He gestured to her body, "but not dressed like that, you're not." He smiled at her gaping expression.

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" She practically shouted. Jareth shook his head in a dramatic show of his displeasure with her appearance. "I look alright," she was quickly losing confidence in her outfit choice. "Besides, I wasn't exactly prepared for today's agenda, Mr. Hoity-Toity!" She crossed her arms and challenged the contemplating man before her.

"You're right about that, I suppose." Jareth continued tapping his chin in thought. "The lack of preparation, I mean. Your childish name-calling makes absolutely _no_ sense to me whatsoever." He sighed deeply. "I guess I'll just have to dress you myself." He waved his hand and Sarah suddenly felt fifteen pounds heavier. She looked down at her body and gasped.

"Wha—what is _this_?" She asked in shock. Sarah fingered the gorgeous fabric of the gown she was suddenly sporting. Gone were her jeans and sneakers. Instead she was wearing the most beautiful gown she had ever seen. The fabric was a heavy, royal purple type that was smooth under her fingers, and was surprisingly heavy for one that flowed effortlessly with her every movement. The gown fell off her shoulders and the sleeves ended right past her elbows. Sarah touched the bodice and felt delicate stitching and beadings. When she looked, she saw intricate swirls and patterns that framed her left hip and twisted and twirled all the way down to the end of the long skirt.

"_This_—" Jareth said as he appraised his handy-work "—is _appropriate_ clothing for an appearance before the High King and Queen of the Underground."

Sarah was about to defend herself, but she realized Jareth was not being accusatory. He understood her situation more than anybody else possibly could; the situation being her utter clueless-ness. She was glad for a moment that she had Jareth to help get her through all the things expected of someone in the Underground.

"Well, how do I look?" She asked shyly. Jareth circled her immobile form quickly before standing in front of her again.

"You are… breathtaking, my dear," He said earnestly. Sarah blushed again. _Get a grip_ said the logical side of her brain. She squelched the thought and reveled in being complimented by the gorgeous king. _I am _such_ a girl._

Sarah smiled softly at Jareth. "Thank you." She whispered.

A throat cleared and broke the silence. Sarah and Jareth turned to the source of the noise and saw a couple standing at the mouth of a beautiful foot path. Sarah immediately recognized similarities between the couple before her and the man next to her. First was the otherworldly beauty, as their faces were immaculate. Sarah decided Jareth looked more like his mother, but noticed his hair color was more like his father's, while he had his mother's blue eye color. _Maybe it's an even combination._

"Ah! Good morning Mother, Father!" Jareth said cheerfully. He turned his body completely so that he was facing them directly. The motion left Sarah flanking behind him slightly to the left. She peered around him to see the royal couple. She felt like a child hiding from something scary. _I feel so stupid._

It was the King who spoke first, his voice a clear, cheerful tenor. "Good morning to you as well." His gaze moved between Jareth and Sarah a couple of times before turning to his wife in curiosity. She shrugged.

"Jareth, who is that lovely creature you are trying to hide from us?" The Queen's voice was a soft and low. It reminded Sarah of some of the jazzy altos she taught in the past.

Jareth moved aside and guided Sarah forward with a gentle hand on her shoulder. She couldn't help but feel panicked. _Don't leave me,_ her expression screamed as she looked to Jareth for help. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before reluctantly releasing it.

"Lady Sarah, allow me to introduce to you my parents, High King Niall and High Queen Ziomara." He gestured to both of his parents respectively. "Mother and Father, this is Lady Sarah…" Sarah noticed the way Jareth's voice caressed her name almost reverently. She shivered. "…the girl with the mismatched gaze."

Sarah's brow furrowed in confusion. _The mismatched what?_ She looked to Jareth in confusion but his face revealed nothing but a smug grin. Her gaze moved to the king and queen. Their faces were twin expressions of confusion, but slowly their eyes alighted with realization. They looked at each other at the same time and their faces exploded with elation, obviously having come to similar conclusions. Queen Ziomara moved from her husband's side and approached Sarah, swiftly taking her in her arms in a warm embrace. _I guess that's_ one _way to break the ice. This is going to be a piece of cake!_

"Well of course she is!" The queen-mother stated joyously as if she finally found the answer to the greatest mystery of all. Sarah looked at Jareth from over his mother's shoulder. He shrugged helplessly before turning and shaking hands with his father. _What the hell's going on? _Sarah felt the queen release her and hold her at arm's length. "Oh, Jareth! She's exquisite!" She looked at Sarah with the most sincere smile she had ever seen in her life. "You are _beautiful_! You must be the most beautiful Fae in all the Underground!"

Sarah blushed and chuckled nervously. _Wow,_ she thought, completely stunned at this woman's friendly personality. _She is _really _nice._ "It's a pleasure to meet you." Sarah laughed lightly. She was surprised her voice sounded so confident. _Small favors,_ she mused.

"The pleasure is ours, my Lady." This time it was the King Niall who spoke up. He rested a hand on his wife's shoulder; she in turn released Sarah completely and snuggled under the arm of her husband. The king's arm rested on top of Queen Ziomara's small shoulders and she leaned into the embrace. They were the picture of ease as they looked between Sarah and Jareth with—_are those… knowing glances?_

_Wait… What?_ Sarah looked at the royal couple and then at Jareth. The trio seemed to be having a silent conversation, all knowledgeable glances and nods of what looked like approval. _I don't understand. Aren't these the same people who tried to punish Jareth for pulling his little stunt?_ Sarah made the silent connection. But she didn't know why they seemed to have accepted her so _willingly_. _Unless…_ Sarah gasped. She started to speak when the queen interrupted.

King Niall spoke amusedly. "So, Jareth, where have you been hiding her? I don't believe we have ever had the pleasure of meeting this young woman." Sarah didn't like that they were talking about her like she wasn't present, but she knew it wasn't out of malicious intent.

"Yes, yes! It's so like Jareth to keep something wonderful to himself." The queen winked. "Now, what kingdom did you say you were from?" She inquired to Sarah.

_Kingdom? What kingdom? Oh man, these people need to get their facts straight_. She was about to answer, but Jareth butted in. "She didn't. Although, you could technically say she is of the _Goblin_ Kingdom now." He smiled conspiratorially. The three shared a laugh, looking at one another as if his answer was what they wanted to hear.

_And _what_ is _that_ supposed to mean? Since when am I from the _Goblin Kingdom_?_ Sarah felt her face flush with anger. How can Jareth tell his parents these outright lies? I thought Fae were unable to lie! Sarah felt so frustrated. She absolutely hated feeling so ignorant of what was going on around her. _And why the hell do his parents seem so… happy?_ _It's like they refuse to acknowledge the fact that I'm the girl Jareth enchanted all those years ago! _

Sarah tuned back in to the conversation, apparently she had zoned out.

"…So we'll be spending a lot of our time together now." Jareth said contently.

"Yes, of course!" King Niall said accommodatingly. "We understand completely." He smiled down at Sarah. She could only offer a weak smile in return. If the king noticed the fake show of happiness, he didn't say anything about it.

"Oh! You must not hog her to yourself, you know!" Queen Ziomara chided, her beautiful, full lips formed a pout. "My dear girl, you _must_ allow me to arrange a ball for you! Oh, it will be absolutely _splendid_! I'll invite all the nobles from the surrounding areas and we'll all gather to honor your—"

"Mother, I really don't think something that extravagant is necessary." Jareth smoothly interrupted his mother's speech. "Really, Mother, there is no need to crowd poor Sarah." Sarah detected a slight hitch in Jareth's voice. _Is he getting nervous,_ she questioned disbelievingly.

"Oh, but _Jareth_!" She quickly brushed off her son and went back to addressing Sarah. "Sarah, you _must _convince him that—"Queen Ziomara tried again.

"No, Mother. I mean it." Jareth touched the small of Sarah's back. His nearness made her jump. "We really should be going now. We have a delightful afternoon planned and cannot delay it any longer!" Jareth said quickly, never losing his cool. He said a rushed goodbye, leaving behind a confused mother and father. He turned Sarah around by the shoulders and started ushering her out of the garden in the opposite direction of his confused parents.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sarah!" The king called after the departing couple.

"We will get to know one another better very soon! You're welcome any time for tea, my dear!" The queen proclaimed and waved goodbye.

Sarah looked over her shoulder and tried to give a farewell, but the couple was not there. Sarah was now standing in an unfamiliar room. She looked about the dimly lit room, illuminated by a lone, large fireplace.

"Where are we?" She asked. And then quickly added: "Where the _hell _do you get off spouting all kinds of shit about me? You're parents are nice people! Don't you think they _deserve_ to know the truth?" Her seething glare followed Jareth's moving form as he walked about the room and seated himself behind a large, dark wood desk.

Jareth sighed. "Sarah darling, when do you _think _I lied to them?"

"Well, when you said that I was from the Goblin Kingdom, for starters." She crossed her arms in challenge.

"You _are_. When you defeated the Labyrinth, you gained access to my kingdom whenever you pleased. You may now consider yourself a citizen of my humble kingdom." He waved outward with his hands as he spoke.

"Oh." Sarah thought back to the conversation in the garden, looking for another way to trap him. "What about what you said about my eyes? You said something… about…" She struggled to come up with his exact wording.

"Yes, your mismatched gaze. _Also_ true." He smiled at her efforts. "Tell me, Sarah. How long have you been able to see goblins?"

"All my life," She answered immediately. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"So, you have always been able to _see_ both Realms. Did you not once say yourself, long ago, that you had been given 'certain powers'? I would think that counts as having a 'mismatched gaze.'"

Sarah felt her face color. She turned toward the fire, hoping the amber glow would hide her embarrassment. She did not want to be reminded of _that _night.

Jareth cleared his voice. He started hesitantly, "I… I hope our early morning activities have not put you off your magic lessons…?" He made the inquiry trail off.

Sarah snapped to attention. "No! Of course not! Please, can we start now?" _So much time has been lost already! _"Let's start with the glamour!"

Jareth laughed at her eagerness. Sarah never would have admitted it out loud—_well, maybe if I was stranded on an island and only had a volleyball with which to discuss my deepest, darkest secrets to_—but she was actually excited about magic lessons just because they were _magic lessons_. She could not wait to begin.

"As you wish, my Lady." Jareth snapped his fingers and they disappeared from the room. Glitter and all.

* * *

"Most usages of magic will be forms of transformation. Depending on the method of use, you can do many different things so long as you remember how to channel the magic within you _and_ outside of you."

Jareth and Sarah were in a large, open field. Judging by their surroundings, Sarah suspected they were in a forest on the outskirts of the Goblin Kingdom. A hundred paces or so away from them was a rushing stream of cool, spring water. She could hear the bubbling laughter of the water sprites as she focused on Jareth's words. She faced him from the ground in front of him; he stood above her several feet away. He continued his explanation.

"The glamour is one of the most basic usages of magic. In some households, it is considered a mere parlor trick compared to more advanced skills. Most every Fae has the ability to hold a glamour, weak or strong."

Sarah nodded her understanding. Jareth went on.

"Magic can travel two ways: from the inside-out, and outside-in. Today, we will be dealing with inside-out." Sarah was about to ask what the other form was for but Jareth caught her before she could speak. "Don't worry about anything else but what I am telling you. Patience, my pupil." He chuckled at her pout. "Anyway, imagine that there is an endless source of magic within you. And all you have to do is draw your power from that wealth of magic and bring it from inside of you to the outside of you where everybody can see it."

"Is it really an _endless_ source?"

"No, for most it is rather limited. Using magic takes energy. The more you use it, the more that source depletes, and the more it drains your energy. The lack of magic tells the body it needs to rest and recharge in order to renew the source. Understand?"

"Is it like that for you?" She ignored his question and asked instead.

He smirked. "Not at all. My source of magic is an endless source. Well, I'm _assuming _so. I have never felt a lag from too much magical usage."

"Well, what about _me_?"

He shrugged. "I have no way of knowing, dearest. But I am willing to bet that you and I are similar in those regards." He winked. "Either way, we will find out soon enough."

Sarah accepted his answer with a nod and a smile. She liked the idea of having an unlimited amount of magic. _How cool is _that_?_ She was buzzing with excitement just_ thinking_ about it.

"Now, the first steps to using a glamour is understanding it. To the observer, a glamour is like a veil that blocks the real image with a conjured one. But, I'm sure you already knew that. If you imagine the glamour to be like a veil, it will make it easier to _identify_ when one is being used and see _through_ it. Now, I want you to tell me what I'm holding in my hand."

Sarah stood and absently brushed the seat of her pants free of lingering blades of grass. She walked toward Jareth's outstretched hand hesitantly. When she looked inside, all she saw was his gloved palm. Nothing more.

"I don't see anything." She deadpanned.

"_Exactly_. But if you look _past_ the glamour, you will see what I mean."

"Can _you_ see what is in your hand?" She looked up to his face.

"Yes, but that is because I know what to look _for_. If I lost my focus, I would be seeing an empty hand as well. Now focus." He nodded his head toward his hand.

"Well, what am I looking _for, _then?" Sarah mocked Jareth's pompous accent. _This is stupid!_

"Look for the veil of magic, Sarah. Find the very threads of magic that are holding the glamour together. Make yourself see the truth."

Sarah looked hard at his palm. She tried to make herself see the bigger picture. Something in the back of her mind tickled, telling her that she wasn't seeing what was really there. She latched on to that feeling and felt coolness spread through her tummy. Suddenly, an indescribable thing appeared on top of Jareth's hand. The thing looked like a threaded image of Jareth's empty palm, but the reality lay visible just between the magical fibers. Sarah mentally ripped the glamour off and finally saw what Jareth had talking about.

In his hand was an intricate, silver pendant. The delicate piece of jewelry was twisted and molded to look just like a miniature labyrinth. Sarah's fingers brushed the cool metal bobble in Jareth's hand, her fingers burned from where she had accidentally touched his hand. The combination of the hot and cold sent her head in to the clouds.

"Jareth, it's_ beautiful_." She whispered in amazement.

"It's yours." Sarah looked up in surprise. Jareth's smiling face deflated, apparently interpreting her expression to be one of rejection. "Or not." He conceded.

"No! No, it's not _that_—I just… You surprised me. I'm just…" She realized she had halted his retreating hand in both of hers. Touching him sent butterflies to her stomach, but she didn't let go. "I love it, Jareth." She said honestly and smiled at him from underneath her dark lashes.

"Shall I put it on you then?" Sarah nodded and said a please. She turned around and lifted her hair for Jareth to access her neck more easily. His arms moved in front of her through her arms; his divine scent surrounded her senses. It took every ounce of self control not to lean in to the fragrance that was simply… Jareth. _How did I not notice this before?_ She wondered.

"My father gave this to me, long ago, as a gift for passing my first magic lesson." His warm breath blew across the back of her neck, sending chills all the way up her spine and stopped at the crown of her head. "Now it's yours. Congratulations, my dear." Jareth patted her shoulders, brushing her neck lightly, before grabbing her wrists as a signal for her to lower her hair again.

Sarah made the swift movement before she could register what her brain was doing on its own volition. She pulled Jareth's arms around her torso, pulled him in closer to her for a hug from behind. She felt his body come flush against her back; the heat radiated from him and went right through to her very being. Her face enflamed from a foreign emotion.

"Sarah—"

"Thank you, Jareth." She interrupted. She squeezed his arms with her hands to emphasize her appreciation and stepped away from the intimate embrace. She turned around and faced the breathtaking man before her. "How does it look?" She lifted her chin for a better visual of the newly obtained ornament.

"You look…" The Goblin king was at a loss for words. His eyes glazed over for a split second with an expression Sarah was too flustered to identify. He shook the burning gaze from his face before finally saying through his wide smile: "absolutely _perfect_."

* * *

Sarah stared at her ceiling from deep within the billowing piles of blankets on her bed/best friend. The ceiling was a moving picture of the stars and clouds. She couldn't decide which star to focus on as they were all twinkling with their silvery, shimmering lights. The most amazing part of the living art work was the two moons nestled amongst the stars in the night sky, one moon larger than the other, but not one was more enchantingly beautiful than its partner in the heavens. Sarah crossed her arms behind her head and continued to watch the night crawl across her bedroom ceiling.

She felt a tug on the blanket from the end of her bed. Sarah looked down her body and spotted a black furball standing atop the foot of her bed/best friend.

"Well, hello there, Rumor." Sarah said softly. She moved one arm and grabbed the edge of the blanket that was lying across her nightgown-covered body. Rumor hastened toward the offered spot under the blanket as fast as he could, his tiny legs tripping over the occasional ruffle in the expansive comforter.

"Hello, Lady Sarah!" Rumor stage whispered back his greeting as he snuggled on top of her stomach. Sarah lowered the blankets to cover his little form. _This is cozy,_ she thought contently. "What is Lady Sarah staring at?" He looked in the direction she pointed and said: "_Wow_!" He arranged himself to where he laid flat on his back like Sarah was, "It looks like the _real _sky!" He said in wonder.

"Really? There are two moons outside?" She _hmphed_ at the fresh bit of information and looked toward her window.

"Yes, but there's just one sun." He yawned. Moments later, Sarah could hear gentle snoring coming from Rumor's tiny body.

After a few more minutes of star gazing, Sarah wondered what it would be like to be destined to always have the sun as a rival for dominance in the sky. As she drifted off to sleep, she decided she would rather be a moon and forever a part of the night if it meant she always had another by her side to chase away the loneliness.

* * *

**There you have it! Isn't that so sweet? ^_^**

**BEFORE I FORGETSKI: go to my profile and vote on what Sarah should name her bed/best friend. I just picked a bunch of random names. Props go to Nanenna for giving me the idea of a vote. Go vote, you just might end up picking Nanenna's idea for a name!  
**

**Throw me a bone. Post a review. I am panting in wait.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok... So it's been a while, yeh? Heh heh... *gulp***

**I'm definitely still alive! Barely. I was happy to let myself go crazy with this unfinished story, but I had so much encouragement from my friends and family and all the lovely little reviews that I thought, _"What the hell am I doing? I need to finish this shit and move on!"_**

**So that's what I'ma do. I got dis shit all kinds of figured out now. Alls I gotta do is get it up on this site!**

**So here it is. Don't get too excited. I'm extremely rusty. It's been like two or seven years or something like that O.o**

**Disclaimizzle: I don't own nobody. Sobz.**

* * *

Sarah and Jareth finished their morning lesson in the garden and made their way across the field to a shaded table for tea. Sarah still felt flushed from the physical and mental exhaustion of constantly using magic. For the past week, she consistently felt herself growing stronger with each passing day, but the ability to successfully perform simple tricks evaded her still.

"Well, my lady," Jareth started, "how do you feel about your first week? Are you ready to try your magic in the practice realm once more?"

Sarah internally groaned at the mortifying experience in Jareth's "practice realm." He created a mock mortal realm in which she could try out her new-found magic skills. The Goblin King said she was not ready to lease her uncontrolled power in the real Aboveground, which was probably the wisest decision for everybody involved. Sarah acted like a loosed cannon in the practice arena. Since then, Jareth kept her on a tight leash, and made her train in baby steps. It frustrated her to no end and he knew it.

"I feel like I'm making progress, but it's so hard to tell when we keep doing to same things over and over again. You're not pushing me hard enough." Sarah huffed. She nibbled on a cookie and ignored Jareth's shocked expression as best as she could. It was comical to see his cool façade broken so easily.

"Sarah, you wound me!" The Goblin King lowered his teacup and placed his free hand to his chest as if the lady's words actually caused him physical pain. "I do not want to overwhelm you. I challenge you with what you can handle. Anything more will only frustrate you." He smirked at her from over the rim of his teacup.

"You don't know that! I could be ready for so much more and we would never know it because you're not challenging me enough!" Sarah allowed her frustration to seep into her tone. She didn't feel the need to hide her true emotions when she was with Jareth, which was something she chalked up to having to do with the fact that they spent every waking hour together going over magic. And for all the hours of study and practice, she still felt that she was not making enough progress. She was convinced it was his fault and not hers.

"Sarah, do try to calm down. I know you are feeling frustrated, but you must trust that I have your best interest at heart. We are only practicing the necessities as you wished, but there are some things that cannot be rushed. How can you expect to progress if you cannot first manage the basics?" Jareth broke a cookie in half and offered her a piece. When she didn't take it, he placed it neatly on the saucer in front of her. Sarah scowled.

"First of all, I am calm." Jareth scoffed and she ignored him. "Secondly, all I need to master is a glamour. How many hundreds of times have I successfully pulled one off? And thirdly, we _are_ trying to rush things, _remember_? I have a wedding to get to and I don't plan on missing it _now_!" Sarah finished with a pointed glare in the Goblin King's direction. Jareth moved his wicker chair closer to her own seat at the table. A breeze rustled his hair slightly and blew his masculine scent to her. She shivered and rubbed her bare arms.

"Well, I guess the only thing to do is give you exactly what you want." Jareth sighed.

Sarah's face lit up for a split second before falling to a confused pout. "Wait… Just like that? You mean it?" She wondered if she misunderstood his words.

"Precious, the last thing I want is for you to feel like I am holding you back. I will give you a more challenging lesson, and from that you may decide how our lessons will continue."

"Oh, excellent! When can we start?" Sarah stood up and snatched a cookie that looked like a macaroon. She sniffed it before taking a small bite. Delicious as always, she mused.

Jareth took another sip of his tea, wiped his pristine mouth, and stood as well. "Let's begin immediately." He looked down at the untouched cookie half on Sarah's plate and made a face. Sarah almost missed it as he was quick to cover it. _What a baby_, Sarah mused. She picked up the broken dessert and popped it in her mouth before walking away from the table. Jareth's answering smile was blinding.

In a flash, the table and food was gone, and Sarah and Jareth stood facing one another, the only other change being the two hooded cloaks on their shoulders.

"What's this?" Sarah asked fingering the nondescript fabric. "Is this a part of the lesson?"

"It is, in a way." Jareth pulled the hood about his head and tugged it down to his forehead. "This is just a tool. I want you to imagine a glamour concealing your identity just like a cloak would. We will go out amongst the citizens of my kingdom and you will hide yourself from them. Should anyone recognize you, question your identity, or even suspect that you are using a glamour, you will read a book of my choosing and… go to bed _without_ supper." His mismatched eyes widened in outrage.

Sarah rolled her eyes, "I hardly think a punishment is necessary, Jareth. I'm motivated enough."

His eyes sparkled with mirth, "We shall see about that."

Sarah cleared her throat, "Alright, so I have to use a glamour and not get recognized. Sounds simple enough."

"Hm… Not as simple as you might think, precious. You forget that the peoples of this realm, Fae and goblin alike, are magic users of varying degrees. Yes… This should be rather interesting." Jareth propped his fist on his hip and smirked.

"Wait just a minute…" Sarah's green eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're setting me up for failure, you jerk!"

"Come, come, Sarah, I would not do that to you. This will certainly be a challenge for you; furthermore, the focus required of you to succeed will be very similar to what you will need Aboveground. Consider it a mock test with which we may gauge your current ability level to determine how best to proceed with training." Sarah was about to speak when Jareth interrupted her, "the rules are as follows: you may only rely on your own glamour to mask your identity. Nothing else, only your magic. If you can last… Oh, I don't know… 13 minutes should suffice. I will know the second your identity is breached, but you are free to give up at any point. Any questions?" He looked to her and rubbed his gloved palms together with wicked excitement.

Sarah sighed. She should have kept her mouth shut. Of course Jareth would do something ridiculous like this. _I did ask for it..._

"No, let's do this." She pulled her hood over her head and waited for Jareth to poof them away.

Jareth cleared his throat. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well I must be if you have to ask." Sarah huffed. She looked about herself and couldn't figure out what she was forgetting.

"Your glamour." Jareth pointed to her face, which immediately flushed hotly with embarrassment.

"Oh… Right." She closed her eyes and imagined her face becoming just as nondescript as her worn cloak. She opened her eyes and watched Jareth appraise her for a moment before he created an orb and dropped it.

They were instantly transported to a busy alley in what she assumed was still the Goblin City.

Sarah caught herself staring at the huts and stores and carts before she snapped to attention. She looked where Jareth was standing and saw a goblin she did not recognize. Gone was Jareth's beautiful visage, and in its place stood a gnarled goblin face on a hunched and hairy body. The only thing that hinted at its true identity was the mismatched gaze.

Jareth brought a boney finger up to his eye and pointed back at her before he disappeared amongst the mass of people and creatures.

Sarah pulled the hood of her cloak further down her face before she heard a voice float through her head.

_No cheating, precious. You know the rules._

"Who's the real cheater here?" she growled in frustration and lifted her chin ever so slightly. Her hood still covered most of her beautiful face, but she was not yet confident enough in her glamour as to rely on it completely. She walked aimlessly through the busy streets, moving freely through the current of citizens as they roamed their town with purpose and direction.

Sarah made sure to keep her head down and not make eye contact. She wasn't sure what kind of glamour she placed on herself, but it was too late to try and change it now or else someone would notice.

_And then he would win_, she fumed silently.

Sarah felt she was doing rather well until she walked straight into a dwarf and caused him to drop his crates of produce. She moved to help him but he brushed her off and told her to open her eyes and watch where she was walking. Sarah looked around her to see if Jareth saw the interaction, but she could not make heads or tails of anyone in the bustling crowd.

She felt that two minutes had passed since Jareth left her side, so she tried to find a low traffic area in which she could spend the remaining 11 minutes. As soon as she walked a ways through the crowd and away from it, the crowd seemed to follow her without any apparent reason.

_Damn you, Jareth!_ She fumed again.

Sarah caught her reflection and immediately moved to cover her face before she saw the flicker of her glamour flit across her visage. She noticed that her illusion made her look rather dull in comparison, and certainly nothing to bother looking at in the first place. She felt a little smug at the discovery and moved back toward the busy shops and food carts.

_9 minutes left_, she mused. _This is a piece of cake!_ The Fae woman walked with more confidence until she overheard a shrill voice come from somewhere nearby.

"…heard she's from another kingdom, acting as some kind of royal ambassador or something. Kren said he heard a rumor that she was Unseelie. Can you believe it?"

Sarah passed by a group of Fae women gossiping over a cart displaying varying pieces of beautifully crafted jewelry. She tried to ignore them but couldn't help hearing their loud chattering.

"Well whoever this… _Lady_ _Sarah_ thinks she is, she needs to take a seat behind the other noblewomen in this kingdom. Who is more faithful to his majesty than the Goblin Court? There's a prophecy to fulfill and _she_ will no doubt serve as an _evil_ distraction." The other women murmured their agreements and continued gossiping.

Sarah could feel her tenuous grasp on her glamour slip for a split second before she regained control and secured her false image. However that little slip was enough for one of the courtesans to see her and look at her curiously. Sarah watched, frozen in place as the woman nudged her companions and motioned toward Sarah with a dubious glare.

Sarah backed away and turned to run. In her haste, she head-butted a very solid chest bone, whipped her head back in shock and saw Jareth's perfectly upturned smile in a rapid succession. It looked victorious.

"I win."

And they disappeared.

* * *

Sarah fumed silently for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. As soon as they returned to the castle, Jareth escorted the loser to her next assignment in the library.

She found a plush reading chair to sit in while Jareth perused the innumerable tomes in his grand library. Sarah would have been more impressed—delighted, even— with the room in any other circumstance.

"I have several titles in mind, but I want to find one that is…" He mumbled to himself as he flitted around the stacks and shelves.

Sarah watched him with unbridled irritation from her neutral position. He blinked in and out of her sight as he transported himself from one level to another. Sarah could hear the Goblin King rustling pages and snapping covers closed as he considered each and every book.

Several minutes passed like that and Sarah grew restless. She stood and walked around a corner to find Jareth stuffing a book back on the shelf. She cleared her throat to get the distracted Fae's attention but he showed no sign of acknowledgment.

"Jareth," Sarah called out in a clipped tone, "You've been at this for half an hour. Just pick something and—"

"Ah HA!" Jareth exclaimed gleefully. He ripped the dusty tome from the shelf and flipped to the first page. "_Perfect_." Jareth looked up and saw Sarah's bewildered expression. "Oh, there you are. I found the book." He passed the leather bound object to her and she quickly read the title.

"'Warfare: A Goblin's Perspective, by Scrump.'" Sarah read the title back to Jareth emotionlessly. "Shouldn't I be reading something about magic? More specifically, glamours?" She wanted to hurl the book at his royal head.

"This will be most informative, precious. Insightful, really. I might read it again myself." He smiled satisfactorily.

"It was written by a goblin." She deadpanned.

"It will serve you well to start thinking more like one. Some may be brighter than others, but their instincts are what you must strive for." Jareth nodded toward the book and walked past her, making his way for the exit. "You might discover a thing or two in there about magic, but the only way to find out is to read it." In a cloud of glitter and shadow, he vanished from sight.

Sarah wanted to forget the entire assignment and go about her own method of practice, but she admitted to herself that the description of the book piqued her interest. She didn't think goblins were capable of literary finesse, but she had proof in her hands.

_One hundred pages… Better get started. _Sarah thought to herself and walked a short distance to a sitting area illuminated by a blazing fireplace.

* * *

Sarah read the last page of the book and snapped it closed. Her mind was buzzing with newly acquired information and she had to talk to someone before she exploded. _I have to find Jareth._

She stood quickly from her chair and immediately regretted the hasty movement. After she blinked away the creeping black spots in her vision and shook off her dizziness, she delayed no longer and rushed out of the library to find the Goblin King.

Sarah ran past some of her friends—old and new—in her haste. She muttered rushed greetings before she brushed passed them. She needed to talk to Jareth first.

Sarah opened the door to Jareth's study and hesitated. She immediately felt embarrassed for barging in at such a late hour, but she couldn't remember the last time she bothered knocking before entering since arriving at the castle. _No time to feel sorry about it now_, Sarah thought as she stepped through the doorway and into the softly lit chamber.

Inside, Sarah found Jareth in his seat behind his desk furrowing at a paper in front of him. The king looked up briefly toward his visitor before focusing on his work again.

"Do come in, I'm not busy at all." Jareth deadpanned. He scribbled a note on the page before laying it down. Jareth took in Sarah's appearance for a few seconds before a lazy smile formed on his handsome face. "Why, Sarah, you look quite flushed and out of breath. Have you been thinking of me?" He winked.

Sarah scoffed and ignored his comment, "I finished the book."

"Oh, you did?" He feigned surprise. "But it was written by a _goblin_." He whispered with mock disdain.

"Ok! I was wrong to judge the damn book so quickly! _Satisfied_?" She growled, and instantly regretted her harsh tone. She wouldn't get any answers from him if she didn't calm down. Sarah sighed and walked toward the Goblin King until she was right in front of his desk. "I didn't come to argue, I just had a couple of questions…" She poked the dark wood grain on his desk and waited for his response. When he gave no reply, she looked up and caught him staring intently at her with his head propped up on one gloved hand.

He broke eye contact first and chuckled, "How can I resist you anything when you look at me so?"

Sarah blushed bright red straightened her stance. "I didn't look like anything!" She crossed her arms.

"Oh, you didn't?" He formed a crystal and started twirling it around. "Shall I show you how you looked just now? Simply breathtaking," he smirked.

"Jareth, _please_, just answer my questions." Sarah desperately wanted to change the subject. She liked his compliments—probably _too_ much—but she wanted him to be serious more than anything at that moment.

"You have yet to _ask_ me anything. If it's my permission you need, then here, you have it. Ask away." Jareth rid himself of his orb and leaned forward to place both arms on the space in front of him. The weight of his arms rustled and crinkled his paperwork slightly, but he didn't seem to care.

"Thank you," Sarah said as she sat in one of the seats in the center of the room. She faced Jareth and continued, "Are you _really_ Seelie? Or just not very Unseelie?"

"I am Seelie. I have never used Unseelie magic, although I have come close a few times."

"'Come close…?' Ok, I'll get back to that later. What about the goblins?"

"What _about_ them?" He smiled knowingly.

"For starters, they are little, half-brained _war machines_!"

"Ah, yes," He smile grew with pride. "I thought that little detail might interest you. You did read the book in its entirety, correct?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Then you also read the part where it describes the difference between wartime and peacetime. Right now, there are no wars being fought."

"But if there was a war, they would just snap in to battle mode? Just like that?"

"Only if the standing army falls, and it has yet to meet its match in battle. Do you remember why?"

Sarah furrowed her brow. "Because it's made up of goblins?"

"Well, yes… but mostly because it is led by the _King_ of the Goblins himself." Jareth leaned back in his chair and did not bother to hide his smugness.

Sarah scoffed at his attitude before she recalled one particular passage in the book. It had several accounts of battles won by the Goblin Army… and just one account mattered to her.

"Alright. If the Goblin Army is so great, how did I manage to defeat it when I ran the Labyrinth, hm?"

Jareth's smile dropped. "We were not _defeated_."

"Ah ah, that's not what the _book_ says." Sarah pulls the book out of thin air and flips to the page she needed. "'_The most recent battle fought by the Goblin Army happened in the inner city just outside the castle against the first Champion of the Labyrinth, Sarah Williams. No witnesses have been able to explain how the young human girl defeated the army so effortlessly. His majesty, King Jareth, considered the battle an absolute victory, despite the absolute destruction the city and soldiers endured.'" _Sarah finished the excerpt and looked at Jareth expectantly.

His expression darkened ever so slightly, "_That_—if you _must_ call it a battle—was hardly what I would call '_absolute_ _destruction_.'" The Goblin King turned his torso and threw one leg over his arm rest. Sarah likened him to a pouting child.

"Well if it wasn't a crushing loss, then how could it have been a victory if this author thinks otherwise? He must have all the facts about that battle! Not to mention the fact that—Oh yeah—I was there!"

"Sarah, do you really think that is how my Goblin Army operates? Of course you didn't go to battle with any _real_ danger."

"Then why does he—"

Jareth cut her off, "The goblins fight how I order them to fight. They see victories as victories and losses as losses. They don't see the caliber at which they go to battle."

Sarah shook her head. "So you deliberately threw the battle. And now it has been recorded as a mark on your perfect winning streak." Sarah chuckled at the ridiculousness.

Jareth chuckled too, "The book was right when it said I didn't consider the battle a loss at all."

"What did you win?" Sarah's heart fluttered in her chest. _Calm down, skippy, you're acting like a teenaged lunatic._

She never heard his answer as they were interrupted at that moment by the sound of the door being slammed open. The stone wall behind the swinging door made an audible crack upon impact.

Zander stood there peering in with both hands fisted on his narrow hips. He started to walk toward them when he noticed the damage he caused to the wall. He looked at the numerous cracks on the wall and couldn't find the one he just created.

"Did I make all of—" he asked and gestured toward the wall. "No matter, I'll fix it next time I come by." The young king beamed and strolled toward the available seat next to Sarah.

"Whew, it's awfully tense in here. Did I interrupt something hot and heavy? If so I can leave." Zander snuggled deeper in his seat, not bothering at all to appear sorry for the sudden visit.

"Sarah and I were just discussing her latest assignment." Jareth looked slightly relieved for a split second. Sarah noticed.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Zander read the cover of the book in her lap. "Ah yes, ol' Scrump causing trouble again?" He shook his head and looked at Sarah's annoyed expression. He paled and cleared his throat before he made his way toward Jareth's wine carafe.

"Let's just move on," Sarah demanded rather than suggested. "The book also suggested that the Goblin Army reserves the right to use whatever magic they can to win the wars. Does that include Unseelie magic?"

"Yes." Jareth answered simply.

"Then how can you say you are completely Seelie? The goblins are only as magically capable as their leader, which is you!"

"Even you are capable of Unseelie magic. Or have you forgotten already?" Jareth did not rise to Sarah's accusations, but stayed calm as he answered her. "The Goblin Army has not been used in civil wars within the Seelie faction. With that being said, wars against the Unseelie are dirty, bloody messes that must be handled in extreme ways."

"In other words, you just fight fire with fire."

"No, precious. The Unseelie fight with fire. I bring the storm."

Sarah snapped her mouth closed, her retort dying on her lips.

Jareth stood from his seat and leaned over the desk toward her. "I _never_ lose, my lady."

Sarah raised her chin with indignation. Jareth smirked.

Zander could not decide where to settle his gaze between the heated couple.

The Summer King was the first to speak. "Well, I can just leave you two alone to settle this… Discussion… _Thing_…" He stood awkwardly and made for the door before he went back to refill his glass of wine. "Ok, going now." Zander closed the door in a hurry just to open it a second later to pop his head back inside. "Don't set anything on fire… Ok." And he was gone.

Sarah was the first to break away from Jareth's intense gaze. She cleared her throat and looked down at the book in her lap. "It's late," she said as she stood slowly. "We could both use some rest. I'll see you in the morning. Good night." She said softly and made her way toward the door. Jareth walked around his desk and stood before lit fireplace. The king spoke before Sarah made it to the exit.

"Sarah, I—" The Goblin King paused. "I do not look for battles like some warmonger. And I do not deliberately place my soldiers or my subjects in harm's way." Sarah wondered why he would say something like that. She watched him move away from the fire and closer to her. "And I would _never_ let harm come to you."

Sarah's heart beat heavily in her chest. She thanked her lucky stars that no flush painted her cheeks at that moment. Suddenly, a question was out her lips before she had time to think.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked too softly; she doubted Jareth heard her at all.

The Goblin King kept walking toward her, his movements as graceful and confident as a feline. She wondered if he made everyone feel like prey.

"Jareth," she hesitated a moment, "Remember the king in that old story I used to read… The one who fell in—"

"Yes, precious." He stood in front of her; his mismatched gaze stared back at her green one.

Sarah's heart hammered away. _Shut up, you fool! Why does this even matter?_ "Then… Are you—"

"Yes?" Jareth's expression made her feel lightheaded. _Wait, did he just say 'yes' or ask me 'yes?' NO! Where is your brain, Williams? Abort! Abort! Get out of there! _

Sarah felt pressure in her head develop. She imagined all her childhood that she was the heroine from the fairy tale. _Is it possible that the story was more than just a story? Of course not! That was years ago and I'm not—_

"Sarah." Jareth's voice sounded far away.

_Do I even want to find out? Would that change things now?_

"Sarah!" Again, far away, but with an urgency she couldn't understand until she lost the sense of up and down.

_Are we falling?_ "I'm sorry, Jareth," She felt her throat hum the words, but could not hear her voice. Jareth's arms encircled her waist before her limp body hit the stone floor.

_I'm… fainting. _Was her last thought before darkness clouded her consciousness.

* * *

When Sarah awakened from her abrupt bout of unconsciousness, she blinked back the stinging light of day and found herself in her own luxurious bed. The sleeping beauty lifted her tangled head to peer about the room before she snuggled deeper into the billowy folds of her blanket.

_I probably have time to get a little more sleep before breakfast. I'll just wait for monster maid to come get me... _She decided before she drifted back to sleep.

_Knock Knock Knock_

Sarah groaned and wondered how much time had gone by; she felt like it was less than a second since she fell asleep. She threw the blankets off her body and reached for her dressing gown before she dragged herself to the door of her antechamber. She opened the door and peered out with sleepy eyes. "Yes?" She croaked.

"My lady! Hast thou fallen ill? Verily, thou canst rest assured I will fetch the wisest of healers at my lady's behest!" Sir Didymus' loud and sure voice rang in her head, but still managed to bring a smile to her face.

"Sir Didymus! What are you doing here?" She knelt down and hugged her furry companion before she invited him inside.

"His royal majesty beseeched me to see to my lady's health. King Jareth requested that _I_, your _valiant_ knight, would see to your wellbeing! Pray tell, fair maiden, art thou growing too weary to continue thy magic lessons? I came at once to see firsthand the state my lady is in the _moment_ Ambrosias and I received word from King—Ambrosias? _Ambrosias_!"

Sir Didymus stopped his long-winded speech to find his noble steed.

"Ah! Well…" He looked about in confusion. "I am _certain_ he went forth to secure the area of any treacherous villains, my lady! Fear not!"

Sarah struggled to hide her giggles. "It gives me great joy to have my most trusted knight here with me!" He dipped low in a grand bow and Sarah did her best to curtsy in her nightgown.

_Wait… How did I get in a _nightgown_?!_

Sarah gestured for Sir Didymus to sit down while she went and changed into something more appropriate for the day. Once in her room, she looked out the window to try and gauge the time of day by the position of the sun in the sky, but realized she did not know how the sun rose and fell in the Underground.

Sarah reemerged from her bedroom in a pair of white fitted jeans and a black chiffon blouse. She felt inspired to dress nicely for her honored guest.

"Sir Didymus, do you know what time it is?" She sat across from him on the plush couch. His little body reminded her of Rumor and she made a mental note to find the little goblin that day. She had missed him since the day before her "test" in the Goblin Market.

"Verily, it is well past midday, my lady." The knight nodded his head confidently.

Sarah felt an ache for the lost time._ I've slept half the day away! I should be practicing right now!_

Didymus read Sarah's expression and interjected. "Fret not, fair maiden! King Jareth has entrusted me with the task of making sure my lady was safe and well rested this day. Thou shalt relax, recuperate, and commit no strenuous activity for the duration of the day!"

Sarah wondered what all the commotion was about. Jareth had no reason to give her a day to relax, unless he was blamed her fainting spell on their daily lessons. Sarah was about to oppose Jareth's unnecessary edict, but an idea formed in her head and she went with it before she could have second thoughts.

"Alright, Sir Didymus. I promise I won't do anything strenuous today." She leaned back in her seat and pretended to stare off in to space. Suddenly her expression brightened as if she just had an idea. "I know what will keep me relaxed! I'll go find my goblin guardians! They _never_ let me get into trouble. What do you think, noble sir?"

"My lady, thy goblin guardians were hand selected by myself with the utmost care! Thou shalt not find a more worthy guard in the entire realm!"

Sarah stood and grabbed her friend's small hands. "Thank you, Sir Didymus. I'm happy to have your blessing!"

Together they walked out the door. Sarah stood in the hallway as her knight scampered away in the direction he assumed Ambrosias escaped. Sarah ran in the opposite direction in search of her goblins.

Sarah wandered about the castle grounds for the better part of the hour before she finally found the goblins in the smoggy area outside the kitchens.

The low ceilinged section of the castle had steam and smoke pouring out the numerous windows visible from the outside. Sarah peered inside through the dirty glass and saw goblins of all shapes and sizes being conducted by what appeared to be a stout elven man.

Sarah could hear the shouting and clanging inside, but was drawn to the screams and shouts of glee coming from around the corner.

There, playing on the cobbled ground with sticks and stones and wads of what she hoped was mud, were her little goblins.

"LADY SARAH!" Rumor squealed in his high voice. The horde turned and saw the beautiful Fae woman and ran to her as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Hello! Have you been staying out of trouble?" Sarah laughed as they all charged into her kneecaps. Some were just tall enough to hug her about the waist, but most of them just stood there staring with goofy grins.

"We haves lots of games to play!"

"With rocks!"

"And glowworm guts!" Hickle mumbled with a mischievous smile.

_Gross. Not mud._

Sarah couldn't help but laugh as they excitedly told her what they had discovered since she saw them the day before. "Actually, I came hoping we could play a little game."

"Yay! Lady Sarah wants to play with us!" Flot screamed!

Rumor poofed and appeared on top of Grumble's head. "What kind of game?" He squeaked.

"Hide and seek! But this time, we can play with _magic_!"

The shouts of joy were deafening.

"Wait! Wait! There's something you have to help me with first." She looked at them with a serious expression.

"What? Anything! Let's do it and _play_!" Higgle screamed and threw his hands in the air as if to build team morale.

Sarah leaned down and whispered conspiratorially, "You have to teach Lady Sarah how to use magic like a _goblin_!"

"_Ohhhhh_…" They said in awe of the idea. They looked at each other as if the thought was purely taboo.

"What will king say?"

"She's our Lady…"

"But king didn't _says_ we couldn't."

"King doesn't has to _know_…"

The gnarly group looked about themselves before they shrugged and beamed up at their beautiful leader.

"Ok! Let's go!" Rumor screamed. He latched on to Grumble's bulbous head and reached for Sarah's hand. In a flash, they disappeared from sight.

* * *

**Heheheh... Ok yeah I know, this shit is weak. But I know where the story is going now FOR SURE so trust me it will get better :3**

**Leave a review and tell me what you think! Reviews are better than glowworm guts! XP**


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